It’s been a rough week for Stacey Abrams.
First, the organization she founded, the New Georgia Project, came under investigation for shady finances and suspect expenditures.
Now, a family member has come under investigation for serious crimes.
Jimmie Gardner, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’s brother-in-law, has been arrested on serious allegations of human trafficking and assault on a teenager.
Gardner was caught by Tampa officials, according to WFLA 8. Gardner has a problematic record, including a previous conviction for sexual assault that was eventually reversed.
According to the charges against him, Gardner allegedly brought a 16-year-old to his hotel room to pay her for sex before choking her for refusing sex. The victim would be a minor; thus, it would be statutory rape.
According to a Tampa Police Department statement, Gardner saw the juvenile at 1:43 a.m. and invited her to join him in his room at the Renaissance Hotel on International Plaza.
“The victim initially agreed, but later told Gardner that she no longer wanted to engage, and he became angry,” according to the press statement.
#BREAKING Stacey Abrams’ brother-in-law arrested in Tampa for human trafficking, attacking teen: police https://t.co/KDEGUJ9vS2 pic.twitter.com/iOs1rHtWS0
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) November