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Congressman Al Lawson, who defeated Brown in a Democratic primary last year, was circumspect in a statement issued by his office following the verdict.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Brown, her family, and all those affected," he said. "I believe Jacksonville is a better place, because of her three decades of public service."

Brown left the courtroom quietly, with her head hanging slightly, a contrast to the flamboyant and often bombastic style she used for years in confrontations with political opponents and the media.

She was a verbal pugilist, comparing an attempt to redraw her district to slavery and rhetorically asking reporters who inquired about the criminal charges whether they were pedophiles, as a way to point out that the allegations weren't yet proven.

But the 12-term, Jacksonville-based congresswoman was also a master of constituent services, using "Corrine Delivers" as a slogan to tout her ability to bring home projects and services to the voters who elected her. That ability helped her cultivate a political base that seemed unassailable.

She was also in many ways a historic figure, one of the first African-Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction.

But ahead of the 2016 elections, her district was redrawn under a voter-approved ban on gerrymandering. The courts chose maps that swapped out one of her power bases in Orlando for parts of North Central and Northwest Florida, including a portion of Tallahassee, that barely knew her.

As Brown was fighting that change, the indictments were handed down, providing an even larger opening for Lawson, based in Tallahassee. She lost a three-way primary to Lawson by 8.6 points.

On Thursday, Smith said he was struck that some of the contributors to the charity would testify as part of the government's case, only to embrace Brown after leaving the stand.

"People cannot and will not forget all the good that she's done," Smith said. "Let's remember, no one's life is a snapshot. Our lives are films, and you have to look at each and every frame. And Corrine Brown is not going to be defined by what happened here today in this courtroom. She still has plenty of days left on this earth."

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5/11/2017

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