Developer Raul Masvidal, one of Miami-Dade's most prominent civic leaders, appeared with his lawyer this morning at the state attorney's office to face felony charges that he siphoned tens of thousands of dollars from the county's housing agency to buy himself a sculpture of a giant watermelon slice.He lashed out at two key witnesses in the case, Julio Larraz, a Miami artist and Masvidal's childhood friend, and Ron Hall, a Texas art broker. "The only reason why I am being indicted is because there are two liars. ''I think that once they look into their papers and look into the lies that they are telling, I will be exonerated,'' he said.
Masvidal also slammed The Miami Herald, which broke the news this morning that he would be charged by authorities. ''I have been tried in the court of The Miami Herald; I have been convicted by The Miami Herald and taken to the gallows today by The Miami Herald,'' Masvidal said.
A former banker whose ties to local power brokers span three decades, Masvidal is charged with grand theft and organized fraud. If convicted of the first-degree felonies, he could face as many as 30 years in prison.
According to investigators from the Miami-Dade inspector general's office, Masvidal used county money to buy a $150,000 watermelon sculpture titled Mars.
Masvidal, who once farmed watermelons in Puerto Rico; allegedly concealed the purchase by submitting a fraudulent invoice through a failed housing agency construction project he was managing. ''What a great disappointment,'' State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle told The Miami Herald. "He was a respected member of our community. But he turned on his community. He turned on his friends.''
Masvidal's defense attorney, John Thornton, said his client will plead not guilty. "We look forward to revealing all the facts in court. He has committed no crime.'' Masvidal is the second developer in recent months accused of stealing money from the Miami-Dade Housing Agency while thousands of poor families scraped by in decrepit rental apartments, public housing or homeless shelters.
Masvidal is among at least a half-dozen people brought under investigation since The Miami Herald's House of Lies series last summer revealed chronic misspending and insider deals that allowed developers to reap millions of dollars for affordable housing never built.
Commentary: The photo included is of Raul Masvidal as he was turning himself in to get booked. Obviously, since the scumbag is rich, he did not actually spend any time in jail awaiting a bond hearing. He just walked in and walked out. That is how corruption is resolved in Miami.
4 comments:
Viejo maricon, ladron, hijo de puta!
No importa lo que se diga de Raul. Creo en su inocencia. Es un excelente ser humano y una persona que lo ha dado todo por su comunidad.
he has been caught in a scenario where public money to help the poor was used to buy expensive artwork...fradulent receipts have been found...the whole thing seems illegal and corrupt - but in the end this guy should be prosecuted fairly first and if found guilty should be punished accordingly.
Why aren't the artist (Julio Larraz) and art dealer (Ron Hall) that agreed to list only one sculpture on the receipt also being brought up on charges?
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