Former Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida was sentenced to 5 years in prison after taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors who thought their money was going to charity. NPR reports, Brown was sentenced on December 4, 2017, by a federal judge. She was voted out of office in 2016 on 18 counts of conspiracy and fraud. Judge Timothy Corrigan, the judge presiding over the case found the entire situation a tragedy. “It is a sad day for everyone. It is a sad day for this community,” expressed Judge Corrigan. “I was impressed with all the outpouring of support for you and it’s a tribute to you and the work you’ve done…and that makes it more tragic.” In 1992 Brown became one of three African-American lawmakers from Florida to be elected to Congress since the Reconstruction era. She served 12 terms in which she brought change to her state until losing re-election last year due to her indictment. Her chief of staff Elias “Ronnie” Simmons worked with Brown to collect donations for the charity called One Door for Education that provides money to educate children in poverty. $800,000 was raised for this charity, but only $1,200 went to the charity. Brown’s sentence of 5 years was significantly reduced from the usual sentence of up to 9 years. Her lawyer is looking to appeal the sentence. Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook . Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit (Source: NPR ) (Bruce Lipsky/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
A few days ago, we reported that there are rumors that Alaskan Bush People is filming without Ami Brown . It now looks like, despite the rigors of chemotherapy and her fight against lung cancer, Ami Brown may have joined her family in Colorado. But evidence of her arrival is stirring up a new controversy, and Billy Bush is getting slammed by fans of the show. Up until the beginning of this week, the Brown family was living large in a Beverly Hills mansion that was seemingly at odds with their outdoorsy, post-apocalyptic lifestyle that we’ve seen from them on camera. They can afford the $2.7 million home because, well, they’ve been doing a reality series for seven seasons. It’s long been suspected that their lifestyle didn’t match what viewers saw on screen. Little discrepancies, plus the presence of various Browns on social media, clued in viewers to the fact that the show isn’t as authentic as people like to imagine. But you know, that’s fine. It’s a reality series, not a documentary. And living in that mansion puts the family close to a hospital where Ami can undergo treatments for her stage 4 lung cancer. It also means that Ami can live in relative comfort, surrounded by her family. (Most of them, anyway) And, though Alaskan Bush People wouldn’t be the same without Ami, we did understand why her relatives might go ahead with filming Season 8 while Ami still recovers. Except that Ami might not be out of the picture, yet. Alaskan Bush People : Exposed is a non-fan-page where fans and non-fans alike can see updates on the family. Sometimes they report insider information — we don’t know their source, but they’ve often proven to be accurate. Fans who take selfies with the Browns, usually at random retail outlets in the western portion of the US, also clue in the page, which then posts those photos. Often with a huge watermark, as you can see in the screencap above. In that image, you see Ami in a wheelchair that is being pushed by Billy, purportedly in Colorado. This would lead us to believe that Ami Brown is, in fact, in Colorado to film with her family. Is Alaskan Bush People ‘s hiatus finally over? However, eagle-eyed fans spotted a little detail about this photo. And suffice it to say that it ignited a firestorm. Take a look at that photo, and at Billy Brown’s pocket. Notice that red box there? Fans were quick to point out that it looks like Billy is carrying a carton of smokes, on display for everyone to see. The hypocrisy of continuing to smoke while his wife is very probably dying of lung cancer did not escape commenters. “Pack of smokes in billy’s pocket that’s real nice.” Smoking is a notorious cause of lung cancer, though not the only cause. “Look closely. Do you deny that there is a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in Billy’s pocket? Do you know that Billy’s wife has Stage 4 lung cancer? Do you understand the absurdity and hypocrisy of this photo?” The Brown family is pretty familiar with accusations of hypocrisy, but this is a bit more serious than sleeping in a hotel room while pretending that you live in the woods. “Nice pack of smokes in Billy’s pocket there. Stage 4 lung cancer and they can’t stop. No sympathy. My mom was a 3 pack a dayer until COPD set in. Quit cold turkey. I’ve never smoked because of it. … I am sorry she has cancer, even more sorry she lives with assholes, but karma is a real bitch.” We don’t know that “karma” is the right word. Ami doesn’t deserve lung cancer, surely. But it’s understandably distressing to many fans to see that Billy hasn’t changed his habits. “If this family found a way to make money kudos to them. Sorry Ami is ill but the lung cancer sure is explained in his shirt pocket. 2nd hand smoke.” It was pointed out to this commenter that Ami Brown was a two-pack-a-day smoker. Others kept their comments short but firm: “He needs to stop smoking.” It is worth noting that Alaskan Bush People : Exposed says that Ami is actually going to go back to L.A. to finish this latest round of chemo . The family hasn’t announced anything one way or the other, but … is it possible that Ami is just going back and forth between Colorado and L.A? Could that possibly be good for her? In her condition? The only thing worse for her than flying constantly and being around a chronic smoker, at this point, would be roughing it in a Colorado winter while her body is especially vulnerable. We hope that the Brown family clears up any misconceptions and soon. Still, Ami and Billy’s youngest, Rain Brown, doesn’t know if her mom will make it . Doesn’t Billy owe it to his family to make sure that he, at least, will still be around for them for years to come? View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
Considering that Alaskan Bush People is in production limbo while Ami Brown undergoes cancer treatments, we don’t know when the new season will begin. But though the Brown family is living large in a mansion during this hiatus, you figure that, sooner or later, they’ll retreat back into the wilderness to continue filming. Rain Brown said something recently, however, that has fans concerned. it sounds like she wants to quit the show ! We absolutely love that Rain Brown is on social media. Her posts and photos are a great insight into her life and thoughts — sides to her that we would never get to see on a series that follows the entire family. And as carefully as we follow Ami Brown’s chemotherapy treatments , we — and all fans of Alaskan Bush People — need to see that the rest of the family is coping during this trying experience. Remember — cancer patients don’t go through their cancer battles alone. Their loved ones are in the thick of it with them. Just as when we were excited to learn of Noah Brown’s engagement finally being official and confirmed, we welcome any positive news about the family. Rain Brown, however, the youngest of the Brown clan at just 14 years old, has revealed more than just her quirky side and fondness for equality over Instagram. Rain Brown is depressed . And this is not a new development, either. What’s worse, she’s often felt sidelined or ignored when speaking about her battle with depression. No one should be dismissed because of their youth. In fact, teens and preteens experiencing depression can be at extremely high risk, which is why treatment is so important. Hormones and a tumultuous social life can both work to exacerbate depression symptoms. And Ami Brown’s cancer battle must also be taking its toll. Rain’s alarming new post doesn’t refer to any of that, but you can see how it all might be an influence if she’s tired of being on Alaskan Bush People . The picture is fine (it looks like a still from a Vine, actually; gosh I miss Vine), but the caption is what has fans worried. “This is my I don’t really want to take this picture but I love the person who I’m taking it for look #yup #idontwannadothisanymore #hurtinginside #staystrong #stayhappy” In case you find hashtags overwhelming, Rain wrote: “I don’t wanna do this anymore” and “hurting inside.” Both of those tags are huge red flags — not only for her mental health, but for fans of the series who enjoy he role on the show. Fans were quick to comment, and Rain Brown even responded. … One fan wrote: “If you want to quit, then stop. You will be so missed. I so look forward to your posts. If you need to get out of the public eye do it! You can’t be strong for others if you don’t take care of yourself.” Honestly, Rain Brown is a minor, so we doubt that she ever had much of a choice to begin with and we don’t know that she gets to decide that for herself now, either. Rain jumped in, however, and replied: “I was actually talking about taking a picture lol.” We have to say that “hurting inside” sounds a little more serious than posing for a photo, but it may be that her humor isn’t translating well over Instagram. But that’s okay. She’s 14 and she’s just figuring out how to (and how not to) deliver her quirky brand of humor to her fans. This is a relief. Though, as long as the show remains in hiatus for Ami Brown’s treatments and recovery, we won’t know for sure if the show will go on. View Slideshow: Rain Brown: See the Alaskan Bush People Star’s Selfies That Get So Much Hate!
Rain Brown has provided Instagram followers with an update on herself and also on her gravely ill mother. The youngest member of the Alaskan Bush People, Rain has been a consistent social media presence for months. Recently, however, it’s been difficult for her to keep up a happy persona, considering that her mother has tragically been diagnosed with lung cancer. According to a number of reports, Ami Brown is at Stage Four and she may not have very much time left. Earlier this week, Rain tried to keep up an optimistic front, sharing an uplifting text image with her followers that read: “You may not understand today or tomorrow, but eventually God will reveal why you went through everything you did.” She then opened up a lot more about the issues she’s been dealing with of late. “For the past few days I’ve been struggling with some things, such as my depression, life, and some teen girl probs too (ya know a broken nail) and I couldn’t figure out why I was in such bad shape,” Brown wrote, adding: “I stayed in bed for about four days with minor aches and pains and I couldn’t find out a reason, it bothered me so much, I lost any want to be healthy or motivational, I was just a husk.” That’s awful to hear. Sadly, it’s not the first time Rain has mentioned Depression . She wrote the following to her followers last month: I’ve struggled with a lot of depression over the last couple years, I was told it was puberty I was told I was too young to feel any real emotion that I “wasn’t fully developed so my brain couldn’t have actually been depressed” one of the main things I struggle with is my age. This time around, Rain didn’t question her mood too much. As explained below, she sort of just gave in to it: “But just now in the middle of the night it occurred to me, sometimes you don’t have to have a reason sometimes you don’t have to be perfect and somedays you just feel like staying in bed and watching old @simplynailogical videos and that’s OKAY! “In the time of all this happening I told myself that over and over but it also hit me I had to actually believe it and just let it go and stop being bothered by it.” While the Discovery Channel star admitted that she continues to “still feel kinda down and Like being lazy,” she now knows it’s “alright because my body knows what it needs and if that’s rest I won’t be one to refuse.” In conclusion, Amy mentioned her sick mother: “Stay strong my rainbows and listen to your body and soul they know what you need, don’t let your depression or dark feelings try to make you feel bad or people make you feel bad for doing what you know is right for you “Ps my mom gave me some panaway oil and now my aches feel so much better thanks mommy!!!” We really can’t imagine what Rain and her six siblings are going through. On Friday, though, Rain did say that she and her mom spent the morning making peach tea, adding of Ami: “She is now going though her second round of chemo… “Sadly I can’t say how she is doing just yet, but we are all hopeful and faithful, thank you all so much for your support and love in this harsh time.” We wish her the very best. View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
Source: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty M onths after it was announced that Foxy Brown gave birth to a little girl , the rapper recently confirmed her good news on social media . In celebration of her 39th birthday on September 6 , the “Ill Na Na” emcee posted a video of her precious bundle of joy on her Instagram page . She wrote: “My Gorgeous, Greatest, Gray Eyed BIRTHDAY GIFT❕GLORY TO GOD My GREATEST Hit Obsessively IN LOVE Forever Your Hero, MOMMY .” Adorable! As we previously reported , back in March Wendy Williams spilled the tea on Brown giving birth, which came as a huge surprise to the rest of us. No one really knew she was even pregnant! Apparently the talk show host asked the Brooklyn rapper to perform on the show earlier in the year, but she declined given that she was secretly with child. Fast forward to this week, Foxy re-posted that throwback Wendy clip as a way of co-signing on her baby news and setting up her own little video. So what hasn’t been revealed? The baby’s na me or who exactly is the father, although it has been ru mored that he is a reggae star. Congrats Foxy! RELATED NEWS: Foxy Brown Drops Diss Record ‘Breaks Over’ Aimed At Remy Ma New Face, Who Dis? Foxy Brown’s Look Has Everyone Talking Foxy Brown Gives Birth To Baby Girl [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”2942799″ overlay=”true”]
Everyone deals with grief differently. This is basically a known fact that spans all generations and continents. But apparently no one has mentioned it to a handful of Alaskan Bush People fans. As previously reported, Ami Brown – a lead cast member on the aforementioned Discovery Channel series – has been diagnosed with lung cancer. It is believed to be at the most serious stage and her condition has worsened in recent weeks. We hate to write it, but Ami may not have very much time remaining. In response to this tragic illness, husband Billy Brown has spoken out , telling People Magazine of his family in general and kids in particular: “They’re all trying to get through it as best they can, but no one knows what to do. I do what I can… “This is really hard but this is also the strongest our faith has ever been. Our faith is giving us hope.” The youngest of these kids, of course, is Rain Brown. She’s 15 years old and some strangers out there are actually giving Rain crap for the way she is responding to her mother’s disease. Despite Ami being in the hospital and close to her death bed, Rain continues to share selfies on Instagram. She doesn’t see the big deal. She’s just dealing with this sad scenario as best she can. And she has the following to say to all haters: “Yep another selfie… you gotta love yourself kids no matter who try’s to push you down, you wouldn’t believe the people I have had trying to make me mad and a bad person but I just throw love they’re way along with a witty remark… “My point is always remember love is never wrong… just be and love yourself the rest will fall into place.” Rain has over 14,000 Instagram followers. Most have shown her strong support. She refers to these fans as her “Rainbows.” Last month, she showed them her gratitude via a social media video that included these words: “All of your support and love is amazing and it’s great to know there are so many Rainbows out there.” Brown didn’t go into great detail about her mother’s status at the time, but she fought off tears while making this statement and it’s clear she’s struggling with how to proceed. And you know what? If she wants to post several selfies a day to deal with her grief, so be it. Who the heck are we to judge?!? We’d simply like to send Rain and her relatives nothing the best during this difficult circumstance. View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
Angelina Jolie is making it clear … She has not been having a good time in the year since she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. To hear her tell it, she’s not just experiencing the typical heartache that comes from such a significant split. No, the aftermath of this divorce is darn near tearing her apart. In an interview with Vanity Fair published in July, Angelina said said that she and her children have been going through “the hardest time,” and “we’re just kind of coming up for air.” Not only that, but “We’re all trying to do our best to heal our family.” She also revealed that in the months before she filed for divorce, “things got bad” — but she corrected herself, saying “things became difficult,” because she “didn’t want to use that word.” What’s the big difference between saying things were “bad” and things “became difficult”? We’re not sure, but it seems significant to her — and she made it clear that things were both bad and difficult by hinting at some traumatic events that led to the divorce. “We’re all just healing from the events that led to the filing,” she explained. “They’re not healing from divorce.” “They’re healing from some … from life, from things in life.” Do you kind of wish that she’d either actually talk about what happened or hush about it? Same. But in a new interview Angelina did, this one with the Sunday Telegraph, she’s still being vague — but by piecing together these quotes with the Vanity Fair ones, we might be getting an accurate picture of what went down. About the divorce, she says “Sometimes maybe it appears I am pulling it all together. But really I am just trying to get through my days.” “I don’t enjoy being single. It’s not something I wanted. There’s nothing nice about it. It’s just hard.” So it really sounds like she felt she had no other choice but to divorce Brad, right? In the few interviews she’s done in which she mentions Brad and their breakup , she really does sound miserable — he must have really done something she felt he couldn’t come back from. In this interview, Angie goes on to say that “Emotionally it’s been a very difficult year.” “And I have some other health issues. So my health is something I have to monitor.” In the past year, she’s said that she developed hypertension and Bell’s Palsy, thanks to all the stress. So yeah, it makes sense that she’s having to keep a close eye on things. “I feel sometimes that my body has taken a hit,” she says, “but I try to laugh as much as possible.” “We tend to get so stressed that our children feel our stress when they need to feel our joy. Even if you are going through chemo, you need to find the ability to love and laugh.” “It may sound like a postcard,” she adds, “but it’s true.” In trying to find that joy and all that love and laughter, she’s put aside her film career for the moment, and instead she’s been “going to cooking classes.” “Cooking is one of those things you do when you are settled in your life and you can take the time,” she explains. “But somehow I am just very impatient and I am a little bit erratic.” “But I am getting into it now. I feel like, if I cook, the kids can all hang out. Although they often take over and tell me that they can do it better.” Angelina goes on to say that, at this point in time, “I need to rediscover a little bit of the old me. I think we lose our way a bit.” “I have had a lot happen in my life, from certain people passing to health issues to raising the children. And it’s been a very good time to absorb and develop and grow.” “But maybe now that my kids are growing up I am starting to realize that my own sense of play has been put on hold for a while,” she says. “And maybe them hitting their teens is going to bring out a little more fun in Mom. So maybe I am going back. It may be time.” It sounds like she’s still reeling from the divorce , which is understandable, but also like she’s ready to move on to a newer, better phase of life. Best of luck, lady! View Slideshow: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: A Romance Retrospective
Sometimes, when it comes to Jenelle Evans, all you can do is just sigh, shake your head, and go “Oh, honey …” This is one of those times. In the current season of Teen Mom 2, we've been seeing Jenelle's relationship with her mother, Barbara, worsen as they get closer and closer to their big court date. A few years ago, Jenelle decided to stop doing heroin and start trying to be a mother, and ever since then, she and Barbara have been going to court to figure something out with the custody of poor Jace . After a bit of rescheduling — and after their lawyers managed to push back the final court date a few times — they finally settled the custody deal in May. We already know what happened, but in the world of Teen Mom 2, the big day is just a few weeks away. And things have been super, super tense. In last week's episode, we saw Jenelle show up at a restaurant where Barbara was trying to have dinner with friends and harass her until she felt she had to leave. She accused Barbara of being drunk , which obviously wasn't true, and then of driving drunk with Jace and a couple of other kids in the car. When her mom got sick of the accusations and left, Jenelle went to her house and banged on the doors and windows for two hours, then called the police. When she told this story, she seemed to think that she was in the right , and she and her fiancé, David Eason, insisted that the scene they'd made had ensured that Jenelle would get custody of Jace at their court date. It was really, really bizarre, and that theme continues in this sneak peek of the upcoming episode. In this clip, Jenelle and David are having a little chat about Barbara. The issue is that it's Mother's Day weekend, and Jenelle wants to spend the holiday with Jace — but Barbara won't respond to her phone calls. Which makes sense, considering what had just happened between them. “You know, it really upsets me that Jace isn't here,” she told David. “And all the other kids are here. You know, Maryssa's spending Mother's Day with her mom.” “Everyone's with their mom, but not my son.” Meanwhile, Jenelle's other son, Kaiser is playing unsupervised in another room, but he's apparently not who she's referring to here. “It's your mom's fault,” David remarks. “What a great mother.” Does anyone else think it's weird that David is commenting on someone else's parenting when he's facing jail time because he violated a restraining order in place against him for his own son? But yeah, sure, let's bash Barbara. David theorizes that Babs isn't letting Jenelle see Jace because of what happened at that restaurant, because she's “scared” that they're going to get more evidence against her for the custody case. He also says that Barbara “knows that she's probably gonna lose Jace,” so she's trying to get in a bunch of time with him before the hearing. Meanwhile, Jenelle says that they need to come up with a deal in court where “it has to be set in stone that she cannot hold Jace from me, and if she does, she gets contempt of court and goes to jail.” OK, so a few things here. One, obviously Barbara doesn't want Jace to go to Jenelle's for Mother's Day. She's the one who raised him, she's the one who parents him — she may not be his biological mother, but in all other ways, she is his mom. Two, shut up, David. Three, If Barbara has full custody of Jace and there's no visitation schedule in place — which is the case for this scene — she can hold him from whoever she wants. Why does Jenelle have such a hard time understand everything? Watch the tense scene in the video below:
We miss the days when Alaskan Bush People news had to do with finding materials or battling the elements, instead of Ami Brown’s battle with stage four lung cancer . Despite everything, the Brown family has been forging on and making a new life in Colorado, this time a short distance from a hospital in case things with Ami at home should take a turn for the worse. Having medical care nearby was a good call, because the latest update on the Brown family says that Ami is back in the hospital. The Brown family, the stars of Alaskan Bush People — even though they’re now in Colorado — had been grappling with Ami Brown’s tragic cancer diagnosis. They’ve been dealing with it on camera this season, but the fight for her health and for her life continues off camera, too. Though Alaskan Bush People fans implored the Brown children to not close Browntown , the family had clearly had enough of roughing it in Alaska. Honestly, everyone had expected that, between Ami’s cancer diagnosis and how long the series had been running, that the Brown family would just move on and use their reality TV money to live normal lives. You know, back in civilization. (Of course, some Alaskan Bush People fans claim that the show is fake because the Brown family has supplies that aren’t foraged, but … no matter what your stance on that might be, the Brown kids weren’t living normal lives) But the show has still been running strong, and a while back it was reported that they were going ahead with yet another season. We just hope that Ami Brown can hold on and get more time with her family. But, as you know, she’s returned to the hospital. The Facebook page known as Alaskan Bush People : Exposed has kept the world abreast of knowledge of the Brown family that doesn’t quite make it on camera. They posed this oddly cheerful update: “Just a quick update Ami is in the hospital and still being treated with chemotherapy. We will update as soon as any more details become available. Have a great weekend!” This doesn’t sound like it was an emergency treatment, so it’s better than Ami having been rushed to the emergency room. (Which sometimes happens with cancer patients) Alaskan Bush People : Exposed haven’t provided any other updates or clarification, but we hope that this is just another scheduled round of chemo to help give Ami more time with her husband and her children. In the mean time, Ami Brown’s young daughter, Rain, has gotten blasted on social media for posting selfies on Instagram while her mother has cancer. This kind of criticism is absurd, but sadly not uncommon — people who’ve never had a loved one get a cancer diagnosis often don’t realize that life goes on, no matter the circumstances. Rain Brown posting flower crown selfies to Instagram and enjoying her life is exactly what Ami Brown wants for her daughter to experience. We’ve seen this with other celebrity kids whose parents are sick. We’ve even seen this kind of thing with the Brown family. Some fans have slammed Noah Brown for “abandoning” his family when really he’s just living his life and going places with his fiancee, as if visiting a zoo and loving his mother are mutually exclusive. Fans who expect every Brown family social media post to be some sort of weeping, black-and-white tribute to Ami Brown don’t understand family, or grief, or life. We’re all rooting for the Brown family matriarch to pull through. Fans just wished Ami Brown happy birthday last week, and they aren’t prepared to see her go. Neither, we’re sure, is Ami’s large if unconventional family. We don’t know what will become of the family or the series if Ami loses her battle, and it’s hard to imagine the entire Brown family going on as before without Ami. For now, though, she’s getting these chemo treatments to fight tooth-and-nail for her life. That’s all that anyone can do. View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
