Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,
State authorities arrested the mayor of the central Florida city of Kissimmee on Oct. 21, charging her with grand theft and organized fraud over funds she received from a COVID-19 relief program.
Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa maintains her innocence after state charges were filed Oct. 21, 2026, accusing her of grant theft and organized fraud. Osceola County Jail
State Attorney General James Uthmeier accused Mayor Jackie Espinosa of illegally granting herself, her husband, and family members $50,000 from a city program she created that was meant to boost small businesses recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Espinosa created, funded, expanded, and promoted the Kissimmee Business Boost 2.0 for small businesses and submitted her applications before anyone else on the first day it opened, which prosecutors alleged violated state law.
"The evidence makes very clear there was intent to engage in this conflict of interest, then ultimately abused her office to enrich herself," Uthmeier said during a press conference Wednesday.
The mayor and her family own several local businesses, including the Adanse, Real Estate Gallery, Matador Tacos and Tapas, and Empresas Espinosa. At the time of the applications, they also owned Kissimmee Diner.
Espinosa was handcuffed outside her home and taken to the Osceola County Jail, where she remained on Wednesday afternoon, according to ja
