Legal defense fund seeks money to aid former Florida state Rep. Carolina Amesty

Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 1, 2025

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A legal defense fund that argues former state Rep. Carolina Amesty has been “politically persecuted by partisan forces” is seeking money to help her battle a federal criminal complaint accusing the Central Florida Republican of defrauding a government pandemic relief program.

The ex-lawmaker from Windermere needs donations to cover legal costs, fight back against the “smear machine” and defend against “coordinated attacks meant to destroy her politically and silence her voice forever,” according to a website promoting the fund.

The website features a photo of Amesty with President Donald Trump, who has been at the center of four criminal cases related to his business and political career.

“JUST LIKE THEY PERSECUTED PRESIDENT TRUMP, CAROLINA HAS BEEN A VICTIM OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION. STAND WITH CAROLINA AMESTY AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!” the website proclaims in all capital letters.

Reached by phone, Amesty declined to comment about the fund. She also did not respond to messages sent via email.

Formally called the Faith and Freedom Legal Defense Fund, donations are “considered gifts to Carolina Amesty,” according to the website.

Few, if any, details are typically available about such a fund’s operations, including a record of who is behind it, said Laurie Styron, CEO of CharityWatch, an independent nonprofit watchdog.

“This would be like if you or I were starting a crowdfunding campaign to help pay to get our washing machine fixed,” she said in an email. “There wouldn’t be any required public disclosures for that since they are not soliciting charitable donations.”

Once viewed as a rising star in the Florida GOP, Amesty faces two counts of theft of government property, punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.

The former one-term state representative is accused of fraudulently obtaining $122,000 in small business COVID-19 relief funds through a foundation named for herself and a car dealership that federal investigators don’t think was ever licensed to operate, according to a criminal complaint filed in January.

She is represented by Brad Bondi, a high-powered litigator and the brother of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

A federal magistrate judge has set a deadline of July 23 for prosecutors to obtain an indictment or information, which is similar to an indictment but does not go before a grand jury. An indictment would lock in charges against Amesty and allow the case to proceed to trial.

Amesty’s lawyer and prosecutors requested an additional delay to Aug. 22, writing that they were in “active discussions” about the disposition of the case. The judge declined to grant a lengthier delay, noting he had previously granted an extension in February.

In a February hearing, a judge ordered Amesty to surrender her passport and firearms and told her travel would be limited. She is now barred from going to Tallahassee, where she served two years in the Florida House, while her case plays out in court.

Within hours of that hearing, the U.S. Justice Department announced that U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg, who revealed the Amesty prosecution and was appointed during former President Joe Biden’s tenure, was out of the job. He was replaced by Gregory W. Kehoe, a Tampa defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

Elected to the House in 2022, Amesty narrowly lost her reelection bid in November to Democrat Leonard Spencer, a former Disney executive. She ran while facing state forgery charges that were dismissed by outgoing Orange-Osceola state attorney Andrew Bain, an appointee of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, upon her completion of community service and a financial crimes course.

Those state charges stemmed from allegations she improperly notarized a man’s signature on a licensing form for the small Orlando-area college run by her family.

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