A Republican state representative from Florida has been arrested on multiple forgery charges. Carolina Amesty, 29, surrendered to authorities following an indictment on charges including forgery, uttering a forgery, and improperly notarizing documents.
The charges stem from her previous role as an administrator at Central Christian University in Orange County, a position linked to her father’s involvement with the institution. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Amesty faces allegations of falsifying documents related to employee verification and notarizing her own signature.
State Attorney Andrew Bain announced that a concerned citizen alerted his office to the potential criminal activity. After presenting the information to a grand jury, sufficient evidence was found to indict Amesty. Bain affirmed his commitment to justice and fairness in the legal process.
“That information was presented to the grand jury who found sufficient evidence to return an indictment,” Bain stated. “I am committed to upholding fairness and justice in every case by applying the law equally to everyone and my record reflects this dedication.”
Before her surrender, Amesty issued a statement criticizing the timing and motives behind the prosecution. She suggested that the charges were politically motivated, coinciding with the period leading up to absentee ballot distribution.
“This prosecution, initiated just a few weeks prior to absentee ballots being dropped, is based on misleading reports from a partisan newspaper about a notarization of an employee verification background report, the truth of the contents which have not been questioned in any manner,” the lawmaker wrote.
The indictment follows a detailed investigation by the Sentinel, which revealed discrepancies in Amesty’s professional and personal claims. The report alleged that Amesty had notarized a form indicating Robert Shaffer, a long-time educator, as an employee at Central Christian—despite Shaffer’s denial of any affiliation with the school. Other allegations include false reporting to the state about the university, tax evasion on a luxury property, and misrepresentation of a restaurant’s success.
Amesty has dismissed the Sentinel’s investigation as a partisan attack and a series of “misunderstandings.” The lawmaker, a notable supporter of former President Donald Trump, reportedly met her fiancé at a 2020 rally for Trump.
Amesty faces up to twenty years in prison if convicted on the four felony charges.
