Former Florida Mayor Julio Robaina and wife avoid jail, cost taxpayers millions
Former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and his wife, Raiza may have avoided a conviction of tax evasion, but taxpayers may have lost $800 million according to the new Miami Herald article.
The post notes Robaina made off with a “secretive $800,000 fee he collected years ago for helping a developer make a $16 million profit on a taxpayer-funded land sale to the Miami-Dade public school district.”
In April the pair was declared “tax cheats” and hid their earnings from the US government, but the “Miami federal jury found the couple not guilty on charges of conspiring to avoid paying taxes on $2 million in income and lying to authorities.”
The new allegations point to Robaina using his power to convince the Hialeah Gardens City Council of a major land use change. It was never revealed that the “Miami-Dade school district had already approached the Cayon family about purchasing the very same tract to help ease school overcrowding.”
This tract of land was then worth $14 million, a big win for Robaina and his developer. There was no build on the land as it was appraised at $17 million but the school district forked over $30 million.
“Robaina, for his brokerage services, scored an $800,000 fee in February 2007. The payment was not revealed until his tax-evasion trial in April.”
The article is a detailed account which should put more pressure on Robaina, keep him out of public office and possibly pressure the county to seek retribution.
photo 401(K) 2012 via Flickr
