First lady DeSantis is now officially under investigation for money laundering and fraud, her potential run for Florida governor at risk
Florida – The Hope Florida Foundation, a foundation closely linked to Casey DeSantis, the wife of Governor Ron DeSantis, is now the subject of a criminal investigation by Florida prosecutors. The foundation, which has been highlighted as Casey DeSantis’ primary initiative during her time as Florida’s first lady, is now under intense scrutiny just as her own political future is being discussed more openly in the state.
According to Newsweek, the office of Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell confirmed that there is an “open, ongoing investigation” in response to a request for public documents from the The Herald and TB Times. Campbell and the governor’s office have both said they are refusing to give further comment. However, Governor DeSantis openly condemned the investigations, calling them a partisan attack. He said at a recent news conference that criticism of the foundation was “pure politics” and that the program is both beneficial and needed.
Hope Florida started in 2021 with the goal of connecting Floridians who are having trouble with faith-based and local nonprofit groups, so they don’t have to rely on government help. Since then, the foundation has been touted as a caring, community-based way to meet welfare needs, and Casey DeSantis has become its most visible advocate. However, allegations regarding how money has been shifted behind the scenes have created a storm of controversy.
Florida House Republicans expressed concerns about how the DeSantis administration was previously handling state money. They said that administrators wrongfully transferred $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to two nonprofit groups. According to the claims, these groups subsequently sent money to a political committee run by James Uthmeier, who was Governor DeSantis’ chief of staff at the time and has since been named Florida’s attorney general.
The questions about the Hope Florida Foundation reached a breaking point when Republican State Representative Alex Andrade, who had been in charge of looking into the situation, suddenly stopped his probe. Andrade made an unexpected accusation against Uthmeier and an attorney for the nonprofit organization, saying they were part of a “conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud.”
He did say, though, that lawmakers shouldn’t decide what criminal charges to bring. That was now the job of state and federal law enforcement. He said that the records he had collected during his investigation had been sent to both Campbell’s office and the Department of Justice.
Ron DeSantis defended the program when questioned by reporters at a recent event on Tuesday, saying: “I can tell you, this has been a very successful program…I think that everything that’s been thrown at it is pure politics and I don’t think it’s appropriate to be doing politics whether it’s a congressional or a state committee or any of these other things. I believe in this program deeply and I stand by it 100 percent.”
Read also: Florida Republicans want to lower the state tax, Gov. DeSantis doesn’t: “Dead on arrival”
The investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation remains active, and state and perhaps federal authorities are looking into the records. The outcome is still unclear, but the investigation has already put a shadow over an established assistance program and might have big effects on Florida’s political scene, especially since there are rumors that Casey DeSantis might run for governor herself.
