Ex-Florida lawmaker behind "Don't Say Gay" bill sentenced for COVID aid fraud

• The 36-year-old from Williston apologized in court on Thursday and said he wanted to "express my remorse for the decisions and failures I've made," ClickOrlando reports.

The big picture: Harding resigned in December after he was indicted for COVID-19 relief fraud.

• He maintained at the time that he repaid his loan after he was accused of fraudulently obtaining and attempting to obtain more than $150,000 in funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA).

What's next: Harding's sentence is to be followed by two years of supervised release, per the DOJ.

What they're saying: "The theft of any amount of taxpayer funds is inexcusable," said Jason Coody, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, in a statement.

• "However, the defendant's deceptive acts of diverting emergency financial assistance from small businesses during the pandemic is simply beyond the pale," Coody added.

Go deeper: Government watchdog estimates U.S. lost $200 billion to COVID fraud