Tiawana Brown’s daughter asks judge for permission to go to Jamaican resort
One of the daughters of Charlotte City Council Member Tiawana Brown has asked for permission to fly to a Jamaican resort while she awaits trial on fraud allegations.
Tijema Brown — who faces wire fraud and conspiracy charges, like her mother and sister — filed the motion in federal court in Charlotte on Wednesday. A judge has not answered it yet.
The family is accused of lying when they applied for funds that were meant to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors accuse Tiawana Brown of spending some of the money on a lavish birthday party for herself. All three have pleaded not guilty.
The younger Brown made plans to stay at the Ocean Eden Bay Resort in Montego Bay with her cousin and godsister before she was indicted late last month, according to the motion.
A federal prosecutor previously took no issue with the June 7 to June 11 trip so long as Brown informed the government of pertinent details, the motion said.
Last month, United States Magistrate Judge Susan Rodriguez gave the Brown family $25,000 unsecured bonds. She also took away their passports but said they could request trips on a case-by-case basis.
At the time, Tiawana Brown said she travels around the world as part of her work helping people who have been incarcerated. Her other daughter, Antionette Rouse, planned to go to Europe in July to celebrate being accepted into nursing school.
The two had not filed their own motions to travel as of Monday.
The family could face decades in prison. The maximum sentence for wire fraud is 20 years of incarceration, a $250,000 fine and three years on supervised release. Conspiring to commit wire fraud can carry the same penalties.
Tiawana Brown has said she will not resign from the council. Without giving evidence, she has described her charges as “political” and said they are an effort to silence her.
She spent several years in prison in the 1990s after being convicted of fraud.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 3:26 PM.