In a hearing that lasted less than one minute, ousted Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer plead not guilty to six felony charges on Thursday morning at an arraignment in Orlando. The embattled former Florida GOP leader was arrested in the first week of June at his 3,700-square-foot Oviedo home by investigators who had been looking into his financial dealings as head of the party. He has been charged with theft, fraud, and money laundering.
Greer is accused a using a fake company called Victory Strategies to funnel donations made to the Florida Republican party to himself. His associate in the venture, former Florida GOP executive director Delmar Johnson, avoided prison time by recently agreeing to cooperate with investigators in building their case against Greer.
As chairman of the Florida Republican Party for three years, Greer spent lavishly on expensive hotels, chartered jets and high-end restaurants. Prior to being appointed to the post by longtime friend Charlie Crist, Greer was a relative unknown within Florida state politics, working as a private businessman and small-town politician. After intense lobbying by several key Florida Republican leaders seeking his ouster as chairman, Greer resigned from his position in January of this year.
Circuit Judge Marc Lubet set a preliminary trial date for Oct. 18 and another pretrial appearance Oct. 5. Neither the attorney nor Greer made an appearance at the hearing.
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