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Stacey Abrams’ brother-in-law hit with heinous charges including sexual activity with a minor, human trafficking

November 18, 2023 | | Print Article

“No one is above the law.”

That’s what former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams told former White House press secretary Jen Psaki less than two weeks ago.

Of course, she was talking about former President Donald Trump, but the Democrat will likely have to “circle back” to that statement in the coming days.

You see, according to the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit, Abrams’ brother-in-law, Jimmie Gardner, has been arrested in Florida on charges of human trafficking, battery, and “lewd and lascivious touching of certain minors.”

“Jimmie Gardner, a youth motivational speaker and brother-in-law of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, is facing serious charges of human trafficking and is currently in jail in Hillsborough County with no bond,” the office of State Attorney Susan “Suzy” Lopez wrote in a press release announcing the arrest. “Gardner is scheduled to face a judge in first appearance court in Tampa tomorrow.”

“Tampa Police arrested Gardner this morning after his 16-year-old victim called police to report Gardner committed sex acts on her at the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza,” the release continued. “His victim says Gardner paid her money and later became angry and choked her when she refused to have sex.”

Gardner, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1984, has had his share of run-ins with the law.

In 1987, he was wrongly convicted of sexually assaulting two women in West Virginia. He spent 27 years behind bars for the crimes before being exonerated in 2016, according to Lopez’s office.

Gardner married Abrams’ sister, Georgia Federal Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner two years after his release. He now lives in Georgia, where he began a career as a “motivational speaker and emotional intelligence trainer for students and people who were formerly incarcerated,” the press release reveals.

“Tampa Police stated that the incident occurred early Friday morning at the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza when 57-year-old Jimmie Gardner allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a 16-year-old girl before assaulting her during an altercation,” Fox News Digital reports. “Gardner allegedly met the minor at 1:43 a.m. and invited her into his hotel room, which she accepted, before offering to pay her for sex.”

“The victim initially agreed but later told Gardner that she no longer wanted to engage and he became angry,” police said. “Gardner advised the victim that she needed to leave his hotel room. The two got involved in a verbal altercation that escalated to a physical dispute after Gardner placed his hands around the victim’s neck, impeding her breathing. After the dispute, Gardner left the hotel room, and the victim called 911.”

When police arrived on the scene, they found the alleged victim, but Gardner had already left the hotel.

Later, he turned himself in to the Tampa Police District 1 Office.

“Everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Lopez said. “Our attorneys will prosecute this case as we would any other offender who is alleged to have committed these crimes. We take these charges very seriously.”

Melissa Fine
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