Prosecutors in Amesty case seek more time, citing 'ongoing investigation'

Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 14, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Federal prosecutors pursuing a criminal complaint against former state Rep. Carolina Amesty are seeking more time to obtain an indictment, citing an “ongoing investigation” and a pending sealed motion before a grand jury.

The filing entered into federal court last Friday does not detail the nature of that investigation or the motion or how the matter relates to Amesty, who is accused of fraudulently obtaining loans intended to help small businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. But the language suggests the case for which Amesty was charged earlier this year continues to develop.

The filing also says Amesty’s attorneys have provided dozens of pages of summaries and letters; multiple in-person meetings and phone calls; and over 500 pages of documents containing information they believe is exculpatory.

Once viewed as a rising star in the Florida GOP, Amesty faces two counts of theft of government property, punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. She has maintained her innocence since the complaint became public in January, writing in a social media post that a court proceeding where the charges were outlined amounted to a “personal political attack.”

The 30-year-old ex-lawmaker from Windermere is accused of fraudulently obtaining $122,000 in relief funds through an eponymous foundation and a car dealership that investigators don’t think was ever licensed to operate, according to a criminal complaint filed in January.

She is represented by Brad Bondi, a high-powered litigator and the brother of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Brad Bondi did not immediately respond to questions emailed from the Orlando Sentinel about the case.

A federal magistrate judge has set a deadline of July 23 for prosecutors to obtain an indictment or an information, which is similar to an indictment but does not go before a grand jury. An indictment would lock in charges against Amesty and allow the case to proceed to trial.

In April, Amesty’s lawyer and prosecutors requested an additional delay to Aug. 22, writing that they were in “active discussions” about the disposition of the case. The judge declined the lengthier delay, noting he had previously granted an extension. The prosecutors’ request filed last week also asks the judge to push back the deadline to Aug. 22, saying granting the extension would “best serve the interests of justice.”

In a February hearing, a judge ordered Amesty to surrender her passport and firearms and told her travel would be limited. She is now barred from going to Tallahassee, where she served two years in the Florida House, while her case plays out in court.

Within hours of that hearing, the U.S. Justice Department announced that U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg, who revealed the Amesty prosecution and was appointed during former President Joe Biden’s tenure, was out of the job. He was replaced by Gregory W. Kehoe, a Tampa defense lawyer, former federal prosecutor and longtime friend of Pam Bondi.

A legal defense fund argues Amesty has been “politically persecuted by partisan forces” and seeks money to help her battle the federal complaint. A website for the fund says she needs donations to cover legal costs, fight back against the “smear machine” and defend against “coordinated attacks meant to destroy her politically and silence her voice forever.”

Elected to the House in 2022, Amesty narrowly lost her reelection bid in November to Democrat Leonard Spencer, a former Disney executive. She ran while facing state forgery charges that were subsequently dismissed by outgoing Orange-Osceola state attorney Andrew Bain, an appointee of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, upon her completion of community service and a financial crimes course.

Those state charges stemmed from evidence, first published by the Orlando Sentinel, that she improperly notarized a man’s signature on a licensing form for the small Orlando-area college run by her family.

_____