Former Congresswoman Corrine Brown reported to federal prison in a luxury Mercedes minivan Monday to begin a five-year sentence for fraud and corruption charges.
Brown, 71, surrendered to Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Coleman in Sumterville, Florida, 20 minutes before her deadline after being convicted of 18 federal fraud and corruption charges, the Daily Mail reported.
Before entering the prison complex, Brown spoke with her spiritual adviser, Kelvin Cobaris, in a rented black Mercedes Sprinter. The estimated value of a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter is at least $50,860, according to the website of an Orlando, Florida, Mercedes Benz dealer.
The former congresswoman emerged from the vehicle wearing a lavender blouse and black pants with Cobaris by her side and walked toward the prison.
“I saw emotion, but I didn’t see nervousness or fear. She was just ready to go face what she needed to face,” Cobaris told News4 Jax after Brown’s surrender. “She’s still the strong leader that we all know she is, and she sends her love to all of her constituents and those who have supported her throughout this process.”
Brown was found guilty of taking $800,000 worth of funds from the fake charity, One Door for Education Foundation, and spending the money on parties, shopping sprees, and luxury vacations.
In December, a federal judge sentenced her to five years behind bars and three years of probation after her release.
Brown will be housed in FCI Coleman’s minimum security prison camp along with 391 other female inmates. She will be known as Inmate #67315-018 for the rest of her sentence and will likely share a ten-foot-square cubicle with two to three other inmates.
Inmates at the minimum security facility are required to work and wear prison-issued jumpsuits and work boots.
Even though Brown is in prison, she is still eligible to draw from her $66,000 a year federal pension until she exhausts her appeals.