First Muslim Woman Elected to PA House Charged With Stealing $500k From Charity

Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell, who made history by becoming the first Muslim woman to be elected to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, now faces criminal charges.

The charges are related to actions that occurred prior to her taking office in March.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced on Wednesday charges have been filed against the West Philadelphia Democrat, including perjury, tampering with public records, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, and contributions of corporations. Her theft surpassed $500,000, Shapiro said at a press conference in Harrisburg Wednesday morning.

Johnson-Harrell, 53, surrendered this morning and plans to plead guilty to at least some of the charges, Shapiro said. She plans to resign effective December 13.

The parenting website BabyCenter released its annual list of 100 most popular baby names for girls and boys in the United States, and for the 10th year in a row, Sophia is at the top. Liam knocked Jackson out of the No. 1 spot that he had held onto for six years straight.

[...] Revealing a rise in Arabic names, Muhammad and Aaliyah made the top 10 for the first time, replacing Mason and Layla.

[...] Last year and in 2017, Muhammad ranked No. 14 on BabyCenter's list. This year, it saw a 29 percent jump in popularity to make No. 10. It first entered the top 100 in 2013 and has been climbing ever since.