Indicted Charlotte council member says she won’t resign. She should reconsider. | Opinion

READ MORE

---

Council member Tiawana Brown indicted

Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown has been indicted on federal COVID loan fraud charges.

This is a developing story.

Expand All

Charlotte council member indicted on federal COVID loan fraud charges

Who is Tiawana Brown? Charlotte City Council member facing wire fraud indictment

Yet another controversy hits Charlotte City Council as Tiawana Brown is indicted

Indicted Charlotte council member says she won’t resign. She should reconsider. | Opinion

How COVID relief funds were meant to be used, and how they were misused

---

Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown has been federally indicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud. The indictment, which was announced Thursday, alleges that Brown and her two daughters fraudulently obtained more than $124,000 in pandemic relief funds by submitting 15 different loan applications that included false information or false documentation.

According to the indictment, Brown and her daughters used the majority of the money for personal expenses, including $15,000 on a birthday party that included a throne and a horse-drawn carriage. Brown and her daughters could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for each offense if convicted.

The allegations are worrying and cast doubt on Brown’s ability to effectively serve on the council. Brown’s response has so far only deepened that doubt. In anticipation of the indictment, Brown issued a press release early Thursday in which she characterized the charges as a “political attack and a deliberate effort to interfere with her re-election and silence her voice.” To accuse prosecutors, without evidence, of having political motivations is wrong. It’s also a deflection.

Brown now owes the community answers, and so far, she seems reluctant to provide them. At a press conference Thursday, Brown insisted that she “paid the money back” after becoming aware of the investigation but did not say whether or not the money was obtained fraudulently to begin with. When asked repeatedly about what the funds were used for, she declined to answer. When asked about the birthday party, her attorney advised her not to answer. Charlotte deserves more, and better, answers than the ones that she’s given so far.

Brown may be innocent, and if she is, she has every right to defend herself in court. But if she doesn’t also defend herself to her constituents, it may be difficult to regain their trust in her as a public official. Whether she ultimately paid back the money is not relevant — at least not if she did fraudulently obtain and misuse the money in the first place. If she didn’t do it, and believes she’s been wrongfully accused, she should say so.

Brown insists that she will not resign from her position on city council. Because the alleged events occurred years before her election, they are “unrelated to her tenure as a public official” and do not impact her ability to serve in the role, she said Thursday. That might be true if voters had known about these allegations before electing her. But they didn’t, and that’s damaging to the trust that voters placed in her when they chose her to represent them, especially if they made that choice with incomplete information.

Ultimately, Brown’s indictment is a distraction from her responsibilities as a council member and to the city. That distraction is only deepened by her insistence that this is a political attack, and by her refusal to answer legitimate questions about the allegations themselves. Any criminal indictment of a public official, no matter the allegations, is a stain on the city. This one is no exception.

Brown’s story of being the first formerly incarcerated member of Charlotte City Council is an inspiring one, and her dedication to her community predates her election. But every public servant, no matter how passionate, is beholden to the same standards of transparency, integrity and accountability. If Brown is unwilling or unable to meet those standards, she should reconsider her decision not to resign.

This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 1:44 PM.