A Republican lawmaker in Florida turned herself in on Thursday after being indicted on felony forgery charges in connection with her administrative position at a private Christian school.
The Orange County grand jury charged state Rep. Carolina Amesty, 29, with four felony counts: two counts of forgery, one count of illegally notarizing her own signature, and one count of falsely certifying a notary signature.
State Attorney Andrew Bain said in a press release that there is evidence showing that in 2021, Amesty notarized a document knowing that it had a forged signature while working as an administrator at the Central Christian Academy, a private school run by her family.
“A concerned citizen brought potential criminal wrongdoing to our attention, and in line with our obligation to investigate fairly and without bias, we requested a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation and thoroughly reviewed the facts and evidence of the case,” Bain said.
“That information was presented to the grand jury who found sufficient evidence to return an indictment. I am committed to upholding fairness and justice in every case by applying the law equally to everyone, and my record reflects this dedication.”
The Epoch Times contacted Amesty’s office for comment.
The Carolina Amesty Campaign issued a statement on X in response to the allegations, which it called false.
“This prosecution, initiated just a few weeks prior to absentee ballots being dropped, is based on misleading reports from a partisan newspaper about a notarization of an employee verification background report, the truth of the contents which have not been questioned in any manner,” the campaign said.
“Rep. Amesty calls for a speedy trial, looks forward to her day in court, and is confident of her public vindication.”
The third-degree felony charges each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Rep. Amesty, who was elected in 2022, is running for reelection to represent District 45, west of Orlando.
Following the indictment, the Florida Democratic Party chair, Nikki Fried, called on Rep. Amesty to resign.
“The charges Carolina Amesty is facing are serious, and they call every decision she’s ever made on behalf of her constituents into question,” Fried said.
