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Former state Sen. Mandy Dawson pleads guilty to tax charges
By Palm Beach Business.com
FORT LAUDERDALE — Former state Sen. Muriel Amanda “Mandy” Dawson has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of tax evasion and failing to file an income tax return. Dawson, a Democrat, represented portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties, including Delray Beach, in the early and mid-2000s.
During a hearing in federal court on Monday, Dawson admitted that while a member of the Florida Senate in 2004 and 2005, she received substantial income from organizations other than the state but failed to file tax returns for either year. Dawson also admitted that she failed to file federal personal income tax returns for any of the years 2006 through 2008.
In 2005, Dawson received total income of at least $102,896 from various sources but did not file a tax return. Among the sources of additional income were: $7,200 from the Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority; $22,600 from Friends of Children; $1,000 from Blackhawk Security; $5,000 for Alliance for Florida’s Future; $22,000 from Consulting and Communications Group Inc., $15,000 from Alliance for Promoting Florida’s Future.
Dawson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20 before federal court Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. Dawson faces a maximum of five years in prison on the tax evasion charge and one year for failing to file a return.
Dawson was the first black woman from Broward County elected to the Legislature, serving eight years in the House and 10 years in the Senate before retiring because of term limits. In Tallahassee, she became known as an advocate for the poor but she was criticized for poor attendance as well.
In 2002, Dawson was arrested in Tallahassee in for allegedly altering a prescription for painkillers. She spent a year in rehab after admitting that she had become addicted to the prescription drugs while being treated for a degenerative disc in her neck.
In 2005, the Senate censured Dawson for soliciting $5,000 from a lobbyist to pay for a trip to South Africa for herself and a friend.
