2 council members plead not guilty

Two suspended members of City Council have pleaded not guilty to federal fraud and money laundering charges.

The Florida Times-Union reports 37-year-old Katrina Brown and 56-year-old Reginald Brown entered their pleas earlier this week in Jacksonville federal court. They were indicted by a grand jury last month on a combined 38 counts. They each face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted at their September trial.

The indictment says Katrina Brown obtained millions of dollars in U.S. Small Business Administration loans to expand her family’s barbecue business and create local jobs.

Instead, federal prosecutors say she and Reginald Brown incorporated two businesses they used to submit fake invoices to their lender for services the businesses had not provided.

The indictment says Reginald deposited the reimbursement checks into the businesses’ bank accounts. him in March of one count of DUI manslaughter and two counts of DUI with serious injury.

The judge doubled the normal maximum DUI manslaughter sentence to 30 years for Marcelin’s extensive criminal traffic record and prison history. The judge added another five years each for the DUI with serious injury charges.

Authorities say Marcelin lost control on a Haines City road in April 2015, and crashed into a tree. Three passengers were injured; one of them, Andrew Nalik, 19, Valdez, died a month later.

Marcelin’s blood-alcohol level tested 0.12 percent after the crash. Florida law considers a driver impaired at 0.08 percent.