GOP Lawmaker Behind "Don't Say Gay" Bill Facing Fraud Charges

Republican Florida Rep. Joe Harding was all too quick to insert his alleged good Christian values on the state’s LGBTQ students and their families, but he apparently forgot all about those same values when it came to getting some illegal money from the federal government.

Harding—the lawmaker behind HB 1557, which supporters call the “Parental Rights in Education” bill but most refer to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—was indicted Wednesday on a six-count charge of money laundering, wire fraud, and making false statements after a federal grand jury concluded that he fraudulently claimed to have employees in two dormant business in an effort to receive COVID-19 loans in 2020.

According to reporting from the Miami Herald, Harding, 35, applied to the Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans for $150,000 during the pandemic for businesses that did not legally qualify. He additionally created false bank statements as his supporting documentation.

Politico reports that Harding is being accused of using the Vak Shack, a company that sells discounted vacuum bags, and a 46-acre cattle and horse farm called Harding Farms to try to dupe the government out of pandemic-related loans. Both businesses were officially inactive from May 2017 to December 2020.  Harding also filed paperwork in Florida at the time falsifying that both companies were still in operation, according to the indictment.  Harding faces 35 years in prison but has not been remanded into custody. His trial begins on Jan. 11 in Gainesville, Florida.