WINDERMERE, Fla. — An Orange County grand jury indicted State Rep. Carolina Amesty on forgery charges Wednesday, the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit said.
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Amesty -- a Republican who represents District 45 -- was indicted on the following charges: forgery, uttering a forgery, false acknowledgement or certification by a notary public and notarizing your own signature.
The charges are connected to evidence “showing she knowingly notarized a document with a forged signature in 2021 while serving as an administrator at Central Christian Academy, a nonprofit school run by her family,” the State Attorney’s Office said.
It said that all four charges for the “misuse of her notary commission” are classified as third-degree felonies.
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State Attorney Andrew Bain said that his office received a tip from a “concerned citizen,” prompting his office’s request for a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation.
“That information was presented to the grand jury, who found sufficient evidence to return an indictment,” he said. “I am committed to upholding fairness and justice in every case by applying the law equally to everyone and my record reflects this dedication.”
Amesty, 29, of Windermere, surrendered herself at the Orange County Jail on Thursday.
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She was first elected in 2022 and is running for reelection.
Amesty faces Leonard Spencer, a former Disney executive, in that race.
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