Judge orders evidence in Corrine Brown case to stay private

Corrine Brown, Ronnie Simmons outside Jacksonville Federal Courthouse

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A federal judge issued a protective order Monday to keep the voluminous amount of prosecution evidence in the government's case against U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, out of the public eye until trial. 

Brown and Simmons are facing several charges, mostly resulting from $80,000 raised for an unregistered Virginia-based charity that prosecutors say the two used as a personal slush fund. They both pleaded not guilty.

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The congresswoman was defeated in the Democratic primary in her bid for a 13th term.

Monday's court order states all discovery material can only be seen by the defendants, their attorneys, their employees, or experts and witnesses. It further states Brown and Simmons can only use the evidence against them solely for trial preparation.

Prosecutors asked for the protective order due to the confidential nature of the case.

Brown and her attorney, James Smith, did not oppose the order.

The trial is likely to be pushed back until February. Brown and Simmons could face more than 300 years in prison each if convicted on all charges.