Federal trial begins today for Andrew Gillum, Sharon

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The trial of former Tallahassee Mayor and Florida Gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and his former campaign advisor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, begins today at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee.

The two are facing conspiracy and fraud charges, and Gillum faces an additional charge of lying to the FBI.

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor is presiding over the case in his 5th floor courtroom.

Winsor indicated at a pre-trial hearing last week that as many as 60 potential jurors would be summoned to the federal courthouse this morning and will be asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire.

Potential jurors will likely be asked what they’ve heard about the high-profile case in the media, their feelings toward politicians, and any experiences they’ve had working with or contributing to political campaigns.

“We’ll have a lot more individual voir dire in this case than we usually have,” Judge Winsor said. Individual voir dire means jurors are questioned one by one so other jurors cannot hear their responses. That usually happens either behind closed doors or next to the judge’s bench.

Jurors will also be asked about their ability to serve during the lengthy trial, which could last up to a month.

Gillum and Lettman-Hicks were indicted last summer, and a grand jury issued a new “superseding” indictment just last week. It includes 19 counts, instead of the original 21. Two of the original wire fraud charges are no longer included.

Defense attorneys initially indicated they would ask for a delay in the trial because of the last-minute indictment, but on Thursday told the judge they were ready to move forward with the trial.

It’s not clear if jury selection will wrap up today or stretch into Tuesday.

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