A daughter of Tiawana Brown pleads guilty to conspiracy in COVID fraud scheme
Former Charlotte City Council Member Tiawana Brown’s daughter, Antionette Rouse, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in federal court on Monday in connection with a COVID-19 loan fraud scheme.
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In a deal with U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson’s office, Rouse admitted guilt in exchange for another wire fraud charge being dropped.
Her mother, who pleaded guilty in February, watched the brief hearing from a courtroom pew and left the courthouse with her. Both declined to comment. Rouse’s sister, Tijema Brown, pleaded guilty earlier this year, too.
Tiawana Brown also posted a video on Monday to Facebook of her approaching the courthouse and calling out to a television news camera crew that was stationed there.
“They record us! And I record them! No weapons formed shall prosper!” she captioned the video.
Overcoming a prior fraud conviction from the 1990s, Brown became the first formerly incarcerated person to serve on Charlotte’s city council in 2023. Last year, though, she fell into legal trouble again over her use of pandemic relief funds.
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Court documents said that she spent the money — intended to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic — on Louis Vuitton items and her own lavish birthday party, which featured a horse-drawn carriage and throne. She has admitted to wire fraud conspiracy.
Rouse was also charged in that scheme. Her plea agreement says the “loss or attempted loss attributable” to her was between $40,000 and $95,000.
The maximum sentence for wire fraud conspiracy is 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years on supervised release. But the plea agreement says prosecutors would not oppose probation for Rouse if a judge finds that appropriate. Under the agreement’s terms, she would also pay restitution and forfeit assets that were seized during the investigation.
Rouse, her sister and her mother are awaiting sentencing. Tiawana Brown faces up to 20 years.
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Reporter Julia Coin contributed.
