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Movita Johnson-Harrell is the first Muslim female to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
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Charges against her state that she stole around $500,000 from her own charity to pay for personal luxuries and to help fund her campaign.
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She replaced Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was convicted of bribery and other charges before resigning from her West Philadelphia district seat less than a year ago.
It’s one thing to steal. It’s another level of deceit altogether when one steals from their own charity to buy a Porsche. Former Pennsylvania Representative Movita Johnson-Harrell has been charged for doing just that and has resigned from her seat as a result. She was the first Muslim female to be elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
She proclaimed her innocence for “some” of the charges against her in her resignation speech yesterday. But Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro was pretty certain he had the right charges, expressing his confidence in a swift and thorough trial. The details of the charges are shocking.
Pa. Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, charged with stealing more than $500,000 from her own charity, will resign
HARRISBURG — State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, a West Philadelphia Democrat, said Wednesday that she would resign after prosecutors charged her with stealing more than $500,000 from her own nonprofit and spending it on family vacations, designer clothing, furs, personal bills — and her bid for the legislature.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Johnson-Harrell engaged in “brazen corruption” and systematically tried to cover up her crimes by falsifying records and financial statements.
“Her theft knew no bounds,” Shapiro said as he announced that his office had charged the first-term lawmaker with theft, perjury, tampering with public records, and related crimes Wednesday morning.
The charges against Johnson-Harrell mean she is poised to become the second state lawmaker from the West Philadelphia district to leave office under a cloud of criminal accusations in one year. Johnson-Harrell won the seat in a March special election to replace Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was convicted of bribery and other charges and resigned last December.
Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold, has had an seemingly endless flow of corrupt politicians at every level for decades. Perhaps it’s time they stop repeating their mistakes and elect an honest Republican for once.
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