A Muslim Pennsylvania state lawmaker has been charged for allegedly stealing half a million dollars from a charity she founded.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement Thursday that Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell (D) had been charged with numerous charges of theft, perjury, and tampering.
Johnson-Harrell had previously made headlines for being offended by a Christian prayer offered before a session of the Pennsylvania Legislature in March.
Shapiro said that she had stolen money from Motivations Education & Consultation Associates, or MECA, a charity meant to collect donations to help the homeless, seniors and children.
He alleged that she spent the money on “vacations, designer clothing, luxury car payments, real estate purchases, past-due mortgage payments, and other personal expenses.”
Toddler declared dead after near-drowning was found alive in hospital morgue hours later, police say
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow drops out of Senate race weeks before primary
NYPD detective, children shot in separate Brooklyn shootings over holiday weekend
Iranians call for Trump’s death at funeral for assassinated ayatollah: ‘Seek revenge’
Trump shares news of ‘crystal clear’ Reflecting Pool, calls for vandalism suspect’s arrest
Bill Clinton blasts Trump as Americans mark nation’s 250th anniversary
Watch: UK Police Do It Again, Attack White Kid for Crime of Being Slammed on Ground by Black Kid
Watch a Gun-Range Officer Halt Some Hollywood Antics on the Spot
Here Are The Voters Backing Democratic Socialists
California Man Pleads Guilty to Harassing Guthrie Family With Fake Ransom Notes
Newsom blames Trump for DOJ probe, but reports say investigation predates his administration
Samuel Alito Warns Mail-In-Ballot Ruling Leaves Giant Opening For Voter Fraud
‘He Came And Stab Me’: Food Truck Pirates Turn National Mall Into A Lawless Mess
Dem Equality: After Telling New Yorkers to Keep Temps at 78, Mamdani’s City Hall Enjoys 54 Degrees in Places
Navy suspends search for sailor who went missing when helicopter went down in Arabian Sea
Shapiro said in the statement that she had turned herself in, had confessed to the crimes, and had agreed to leave the Pennsylvania Legislature.
“Her theft knew no bounds,” he said.
Later, in a statement released through her lawyers to the Associated Press, she said she disputed some the charges.
“I am saddened and dismayed by the nature of the allegations brought against me today,” Johnson-Harrell said.
“I vigorously dispute many of these allegations, which generally pertain to before I took office and I intend to accept responsibility for any actions that were inappropriate,” she added.
Johnson-Harrell had founded MECA in 2006.
She had been the first Muslim representative elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature.
