Florida congressional candidate preparing for wire fraud trial in Illinois

Before she launched a campaign for a South Florida congressional seat, Te Mayonna Brown – or Tedora M. Brown, as she was known just a few months ago – was indicted on federal wire-fraud charges in Illinois, where she and her husband are accused of defrauding taxpayers out of $750,000.

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In February 2023, Brown, the Republican on the November ballot in Florida’s Congressional District 24, was indicted alongside her spouse, Christopher Scott. Prosecutors said they created fake businesses and fraudulent business records during the COVID pandemic to illegally obtain $742,500 from the Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, created by Congress to provide relief for struggling businesses.

Documents filed in the Northern District of Illinois say the couple either invented or misrepresented the operations of several companies, including a daycare, Montessori school and a golf company, to induce banks and the federal government to issue them pandemic loans.

Prosecutors say the couple spent the money at Tiffany & Co., Jared jewelers, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. They also made hefty cash withdrawals and wire transfers to each other, court documents say.

Scott pleaded guilty to one count in April 2025 and was sentenced in August to 70 months. But Brown, 46, is fighting the charges. A trial is tentatively scheduled for December.

Her attorneys have said they will introduce records showing her businesses were legitimate. They asked in May that the judge “bar any reference to Ms. Brown’s political campaign,” arguing it could prejudice the jury.

“In the not too distant future, we anticipate that this matter will be resolved favorably for our client,” said her attorney, David Katahira. “We cannot say anything additional at this time.”

Brown, who has reported more than $300,000 in loans to her campaign, describes herself as a “successful businesswoman, educator, and trailblazing real estate developer.” She did not directly respond to requests for comment made by phone, email and direct messages on social media.

Brown was scheduled to have a status hearing Wednesday in Illinois. Brown’s campaign manager texted Thursday that she was “away on a family matter of urgency.”

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The charges and details about Brown’s political background were first reported by The Bulwark, which called Brown “the most absurd general election candidate in America.” The outlet reported that not only had Brown been indicted in Illinois, but she also ran a failing congressional campaign that ended in defeat in March, just weeks before filing paperwork to run for Congress in Florida.

When a journalist got Brown on the phone, she denied that she’d been indicted in Illinois, The Bulwark reported, and then hung up after questioning whether the reporter on the line was actually a cop.

Brown addressed the allegations against her in Illinois during an April 2025 interview with Chicago News Weekly in which she claimed a 2021 fraud investigation against her had been thrown out.

“They put me in the news, but when the truth came out, no one printed that part,” she told the news outlet. “I had to walk through the shame that didn’t even belong to me.”

Brown’s story shows how easy it is for candidates to shop for congressional seats under that only require U.S. House candidates be a U.S. citizen, 25 years of age and establish residency in the state by the time they’re elected.

She initially filed papers to run for Congress in the Tampa area, and switched to South Florida’s 24th District after U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson announced her retirement.

Brown, who doesn’t appear to have filed a legally required financial disclosure, made a splash this summer during several candidate forums where she firmly stood against the extension of deportation protections for Haitians, student loan cancellation and increasing the minimum wage.

She is a heavy underdog to Democrat Oliver Gilbert in the left-leaning district, which stretches from Overtown to Hollywood. She made the November ballot automatically when no other Republican sought the office.

Read more Florida congressional candidate preparing for wire fraud trial in Illinois