Brown, Corrine, 1946-

Corrine Brown (born November 11, 1946) is an American former politician and convicted felon, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 1993 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. After a court-ordered redistricting significantly changed her district, and a federal indictment for corruption, Brown was defeated in the 2016 Democratic primary by Al Lawson, who went on to win Brown's former seat.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Brown earned a bachelor of science degree from Florida A&M University in 1969. She earned a master's degree in 1971 from Florida A&M University, and in 1974 received an educational specialist degree from the University of Florida. She taught at the University of Florida and Edward Waters College before moving to Florida Community College in Jacksonville, where she taught and served as a guidance counselor from 1977 to 1992. She also opened her own travel agency in Jacksonville.

After an unsuccessful bid for the Florida House of Representatives in 1980, Brown was elected two years later from a newly drawn House district and served in the House for ten years.

After the 1990 census, the Florida legislature carved out a new 3rd congressional district in the northern part of the state. This district was designed to enclose an African-American majority within its boundaries. Brown faced several candidates in the 1992 Democratic primary, but the strongest opponent to emerge was Andy Johnson, a white talk radio host from Jacksonville. Brown defeated Johnson in the primary and in a two-candidate runoff, and went on to win the general election in November 1992.

Although Brown ran into ethical and legal trouble during her career, her constituents continued to return her to office, and she ran unopposed in 2006 and 2008. As she approached her primary election in 2016, however, she faced two challenges. A state court ordered Florida to redraw its districts after ruling that the existing borders purposefully segregated minority voters into a single district. Brown’s new district stretched east-to-west along the Georgia border from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, and though it remained 63-percent African American, Brown lost much of her traditional constituency along the St. John’s River. Secondly, in July 2016, a grand jury charged Brown and her chief of staff with 24 counts of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction, and filing false tax returns. The charges stemmed from Brown’s tie with a charity which provided scholarships to low-income students. The lawsuit alleged that Brown and several associates siphoned off money to pay for personal expenses.

Just a few weeks after the indictment landed, Brown lost a three-way race in the Democratic primary. After a month-long trial, Brown was convicted on 18 counts on May 11, 2017. On December 4, 2017, Brown was sentenced to five years in prison. She reported to Coleman Federal Correctional Institute in Sumter County, Florida, on January 29, 2018. On January 9, 2020, the U.S. Court of Federal Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected Brown’s appeal. Brown was released from prison on April 22, 2020 citing health concerns. Her attorney argued she was at increased risk of COVID-19 because of her age and underlying health conditions.