The Lead

Former Pa. Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell pleads guilty to stealing from nonprofit she ran, report

By: John L. Micek - January 23, 2020 4:44 pm

Movita Johnson-Harrell (Courtesy campaign Facebook page)

A former Democratic state lawmaker from West Philadelphia faces three months in jail after pleading guilty to charges that she stole more than $500,000 from a nonprofit she ran.

Movita Johnson-Harrell, 53, was also sentenced to 8 1/2 months of house arrest and must repay the nonprofit, the Associated Press reported. She will also turn over real estate to help cover the cost, the AP reported. Johnson entered the guilty pleas in Philadelphia.

“Movita is an exceptional woman who will serve her sentence, and then return to her mission of advocacy,” her attorney, Jessica Natali, said in a written statement, according to the Associated Press.

Johnson-Harrell pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges related to campaign and state financial reports and guilty to felony theft and perjury, the AP reported.

With Johnson-Harrell’s exit, candidates lining up to run for vacant Philly House seat

“This Philadelphia community would have been in a better place had this former public official invested [the nonprofit’s] MECA’s money into the people who needed the care she promised,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement, according to the AP.

The special election to fill her seat will be held in March.

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John L. Micek

A 3-decade veteran of the news business, John L. Micek is the Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Editor-in-Chief. An award-winning political reporter, Micek’s career has taken him from small town meetings and Chicago City Hall to Congress and the Pennsylvania Capitol. His weekly column on U.S. politics is syndicated to 800 newspapers nationwide by Cagle Syndicate. He also contributes commentary and analysis to broadcast outlets in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Micek’s first novel, “Ordinary Angels,” was released in 2019 by Sunbury Press.