Former Rep. Joe Harding sentenced to four months in prison

File photo: Former Rep. Joe Harding speaks during the Marion County Delegation at the Klein Conference Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

Former Florida State Rep. Joe Harding of Ocala has been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud in March.

The fraud was in connection to COVID-19 relief funds. Harding pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Florida.

After fraudulently obtaining $150,000 of relief funds, Harding conducted three transactions, each more than $10,000, to transfer money to his joint bank account, make a credit card payment and transfer money into his bank account for a third-party business, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Following Harding’s four months in prison, he will serve two years of supervised release. There is a 14-day window for Harding’s attorney to file an appeal for his sentence.

Harding was not taken to prison immediately after sentencing, but instead has until Jan. 29, 2024 to voluntarily self-surrender to serve his prison sentence.

Harding addressed the court during his sentencing, stopping multiple times to regain his composure. He said he has tried to make amends, rebuild and made a commitment to the court to use the lessons he has learned.

Harding’s attorney argued that it was “a moment of weakness during financial strain.” Two witnesses spoke on Harding’s behalf. One was his brother Daniel Harding, a pastor, who encouraged the court to show mercy.

The other was Brent Doster of the Front Line Agency, whom Harding was a friend and client of. Doster said to the judge that Harding had received a lot of advice to fight the charges and make the issue political but said that Harding chose not to do so.

The court acknowledged Harding’s effort to mitigate his case by taking responsibility for his actions and repaying the money.

The maximum sentence Harding could have received for wire fraud is 20 years, with a maximum of 10 years for the charge of money laundering and five years for making false statements, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.