KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa on charges of Grand Theft and Scheme to Defraud. Espinosa’s arrest follows a joint investigation by the Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division (CID) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Office of Executive Investigations into improper influence in the awarding of COVID-19 grant funds.

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said, “The voters put their trust in their public officials to do what is best for their community, not what is best for themselves. Jackie Espinosa abused that trust and cashed in at the taxpayers’ expense. It is called public service for a reason, not self-service. When I took office, I promised I would root out waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption, and today I am fulfilling that promise for the people of Kissimmee.”

“Public officials do not get to write the rules and then write themselves a check,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “The mayor used her position to push a COVID relief grant program, then took $50,000 from it for her family’s businesses after being warned it was prohibited. Florida taxpayers funded that money to help small businesses recover, not to enrich the mayor who controlled it.”

“Today’s arrest shows exactly why accountability matters. The Department of Financial Services found the case through their rigorous audits, and FDLE matched that diligence with a thorough and uncompromising investigation,” said FDLE Commissioner Larry Keefe. “We appreciate CFO Ingoglia’s commitment to safeguarding taxpayer dollars and Attorney General Uthmeier’s leadership in prioritizing public integrity across this state. Public office is a responsibility, not an opportunity for personal gain. When that trust is violated, FDLE will use every resource available to investigate it. Government must protect the people and their trust, and every public official in this state will be held to the law they swore to uphold.”

The criminal investigation into Espinosa followed a routine audit conducted by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) of local governments’ use of grants and COVID-19-related funds. DFS determined that Espinosa may have used her official position as mayor of the City of Kissimmee to improperly influence the award of funds distributed through the Business Boost 2.0 grant program.

DFS CID then identified that seven businesses located in properties owned or managed by members of Espinosa’s family received a combined total of $90,000 in grant funds. $50,000 went to Espinosa’s businesses while $40,000 went to tenants in Espinosa’s buildings.  

DFS CID Director Luis Negrete made a criminal referral to the FDLE Office of Executive Investigations and further referred information to the Florida Commission on Ethics as well as to the Special Prosecutor appointed to oversee an ethics complaint against the Mayor, which was requested by the Kissimmee City Commission.

The criminal investigation into the award of grant funds was conducted by the FDLE Office of Executive Investigations with assistance from the DFS CID.

Attorney General James Uthmeier and the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor have filed criminal charges against Jackie Espinosa for Grand Theft ($20,000 or more but less than $100,000), Second Degree Felony, and Scheme to Defraud ($50,000 or more), First Degree Felony.