Former Jax City Council members Katrina Brown, Reggie Brown found guilty on dozens of federal charges

Jacksonville, FL — The 12-person jury in the federal fraud trial for former Democratic Jacksonville City Council Members Katrina Brown and Reggie Brown reached a verdict Wednesday afternoon.

Katrina Brown was found guilty on all 37 charges that she faced.

Reggie Brown, meanwhile, was found guilty on 33 of the 34 counts that he faced.

The jury was given the case around 3 PM on Tuesday to begin deliberations and had reached a verdict around 1:30 PM Wednesday afternoon, spending roughly 7 hours deliberating over the two days.

As WOKV first reported in May of 2018, Reggie Brown and Katrina Brown, who are not related, were named in a 38-count indictment dealing with money laundering, various fraud charges and more. Prosecutors claim they conspired to submit fake invoices, in order to receive payments from a federally-backed loan for Katrina Brown's family BBQ sauce business. 

Katrina Brown and Reggie Brown both maintained their innocence throughout the trial and after the verdict was read.

“The jury spoke but, you know I don’t agree with it. I didn’t take any money. Not one dime went in my pockets,” said Katrina Brown, as she walked out of the courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

Reggie Brown had a similar statement as he left the courtroom, saying he was very disappointed with the jury.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with this. I never had any conversation about anything with her. I thought and I still feel that the work I did was legitimate,” said Reggie Brown.

The FBI Jacksonville released the following statement:

“Rooting out corrupt public officials who undermine public trust is the FBI's top criminal priority. This case demonstrates our relentless efforts to ensure that those who are elected to serve their communities do so for the greater good, and not their own personal gain,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Jacksonville.

Sentencing for Katrina Brown and Reggie Brown has now been set for January 27, 2020.