The potential federal criminal case against the Hope Florida Foundation and those involved in $10 million Medicaid settlement scandal that came to light in early 2025 appears to have ended before it began, this according to a source within the Department of Justice (DOJ) with direct knowledge of the government agency's decision to not move forward with a case.
According to the source DOJ source, who spoke exclusively to The Floridian on the condition of anonymity Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C., the Justice Department looked into the matter in late 2025, but came to the conclusion that there was, "no predicate to open up an intake on this," adding that "no further action is anticipated."
The source reiterated that there was wasn't "sufficient predicate to perform an intake," or file a case, and that the DOJ did not anticipate any "further action" as it pertains to the Hope Florida Foundation headed up by First Lady DeSantis.
"No further action is anticipated on the matter," said the source. "There is no predicate to open up an intake on this. No further action is anticipated."
Nothing that was turned over to the federal government appeared to rise to a level of sufficiency to begin an inquiry, let alone any criminality, and the case looks to be closed.
There is a grand jury that was convened at the state level, so it will be interesting to see what comes out from that now that the federal government is not moving forward with a case of its own.
We are also hearing that the state may also refrain from filing criminal indictments.
Rep. Alex Andrade, who made the alleged complaints to the DOJ and FBI, has been fixated on the issue since the very beginning.
Attorney General Uthmeier could not be reached for comment, but Jeremy Redfern, Uthmeier's deputy chief of staff, did respond to The Floridian's request for comment, and took a jab at Rep. Andrade aggressive "hoax investigation into Hope Florida."
"As we’ve said since this beginning, a back-bench state representative started a hoax investigation into Hope Florida for political reasons. We appreciate the Department of Justice putting this sideshow to bed once and for all," stated Redfern. "Ever since Amendment 3 & 4 failed, Rep. Andrade has filed legislation on behalf of Big Marijuana Corporations, and his law firm is now defending Planned Parenthood against the people of Florida. Nobody should take this guy seriously."
The investigation into Hope Florida all but completely derailed Mrs. DeSantis ‘ 2026 gubernatorial aspirations, but now that the federal government has decided to refrain from even opening up a case, could a run for governor be back on the table for the First Lady?
When the Hope Florida scandal first broke in April 2025, Mrs. DeSantis was strongly considering a gubernatorial run, even though President Donald Trump had already endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds in late February.
Could a Friends for Casey DeSantis political action committee form soon now that the federal government appears to have wiped their hands of the matter?
