After letting him off the hook way too many times, Joe Centorino’s Ethics Commission has finally found probable cause that North Miami Beach Councilweasel Frantz Pierre did something wrong.
The Miami Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust has determined that he is allegedly in violation of exploiting his official position by threatening Code Enforcement Officer Tasheema Lewis for doing the job she was hired to do – enforce the city’s code.
According to the Commission’s November 9, 2016 press release:
The Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (COE) today found Probable Cause that North Miami Beach Councilman Frantz Pierre abused his position by threatening a code compliance officer and threatening to fire city officials when he was cited for property violations. According to the investigation of the complaint (C 16-34), Councilman Pierre had been issued two code violations in February 2015. After failing to address them, a code enforcement officer went to his home two months later to post a notice that a hearing had been scheduled on the cases, when Pierre allegedly told her “… if you want to keep your job, don’t even look at this house.” The councilman also allegedly stated he would fire the city manager and code compliance director, then tore down the posted notice and threw it in the direction of the officer’s car. The charge against Pierre is “exploitation of official position,” under the County’s Code of Ethics Ordinance, and is subject to a fine, legal costs and/or a reprimand.
The eight page Complaint filed by Commission Advocate Michael P. Murawski, and its attached Probable Cause Memorandum, officially document the pathological lies and sociopathic behavior with which Frantz Pierre has terrorized North Miami Beach for nearly a decade.
As a bonus round, the Memorandum also describes Frantzie’s paranoid claims that the “entire incident was orchestrated” because people are plotting against him, and that the Code Enforcement Officer “was sent to do this” and that “every election cycle they come up with something.”
Despite Frantzie’s delusional protestations, the Commission’s investigators found probable cause that he did, in fact, violate Section 2-11.1(g) of the Miami-Dade County Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance entitled, Exploitation of Official Position.
North Miami Beach City Attorney Jose Smith told investigators that he and City Manager Ana Garcia met with Frantz Pierre, who lied to their faces, claiming that he wasn’t even home when the Code Enforcement Officers was there. He also claimed that he had a video of the incident, yet refused to produce it.
Frantzie’s bogus claims of possessing “evidence,” and then refusing to produce it, is but one of the many symptoms of his severe personality disorder. He is prone to making false accusations against people, claiming to have “irrefutable evidence,” then announcing he’ll produce it “when the time is right.” He did this to a former employee during a bidding process, and again to Mayor George Vallejo during discussions about sanitation. No “evidence” ever materialized in either instance.
Frantz thought this stunt would work with the Commission investigator.
It didn’t.
According to the Memorandum:
Councilman Pierre’s testimony is not credible. Although he alternately claim he has or does not have a video tape of the entire incident, he refuses to share what would arguably be exculpatory evidence which, if he is to be believed, would or might completely exonerate him. Instead, Pierre denies any involvement whatsoever, and blames the entire incident on a vast “conspiracy” against him by the City Attorney, a former City Police Chief and other City Officials.
Um, yeah. About that.
Ms. Lewis, on the other hand, was found to be “a very credible witness.” She explained that immediately after she posted a Notice of Hearing on Frantzie’s home and took a picture of it, she began walking to her car when he pulled up in his white SUV and got out of the car.
At that point, Mrs. Pierre “approached her in a very aggressive manner” and yelled at her to leave. Frantzie then told Ms. Lewis, “If you want to keep your job, don’t even look at this house!”
He also threatened to have her fired.
Even though he admitted to investigators that code violations “did exist on his property,” Frantzie insisted he wasn’t at his house when Ms. Lewis posted the Notice of Code Violation.
Frantzie’s wife also lied to the investigator by claiming that he wasn’t home.
Unfortunately for them, Ms. Lewis knew exactly who he was (as does everyone else in North Miami Beach).
Not surprisingly, the investigator believed Ms. Lewis and not the Lyin’ Pierres.
Which is how the Commission came to the conclusion of probable cause that Frantz Pierre abused his official position.
In the meantime, Frantzie hired criminal attorney Benedict P. Kuehne to represent him in his defense against the charges, who then asked North Miami Beach taxpayers to pay his legal fees.
His request was denied.
Since Frantzie can’t pay his own bills, he’s probably looking for another church to rip off as we speak.
Just saying.
Even though the State Attorney’s Office has yet to follow up, by abusing his official position, Frantz Pierre is also in violation of Florida Statute 112.313(6), which states, “MISUSE OF PUBLIC POSITION.—No public officer, employee of an agency, or local government attorney shall corruptly use or attempt to use his or her official position or any property or resource which may be within his or her trust, or perform his or her official duties, to secure a special privilege, benefit, or exemption for himself, herself, or others.”
One of the penalties for breaking this law is the removal from office.
Now that probable cause has been determined, and an official complaint filed by the Commission’s Advocate, Frantzie will have to defend his actions before an Ethics Commission panel. If the Commission finds him to be in violation of the charges, it will enter an order imposing fines against him.
Churches, beware! Hide your checkbooks!
But, more importantly, if Frantz Pierre is found guilty of violating Florida Statute 112.313(6), the Governor will have the option to remove him from office.
If everything goes as expected, I volunteer to personally go to Tallahassee to hand deliver the order to the Governor and petition him to take action.
As a public service, of course.
Stephanie
This is splendid news of justice finally and possibly bubbling to the surface in the cesspool that Frantzie swims in.
However, there’s one glaring error that needs to be corrected. He is now a “CommissionWeasel,” NOT a “CouncilWeasel.”
I would appreciate if you would correct the record to reflect the above.
The voters of NMB have spoken. They want “CommissionWeasel.”
We must respect them.
Thank you so much.
God bless.
I stand corrected. CommissionWeasel it is!
Funny that Attorney Benedict P. Kuehne, the one Pierre has hired, was also used by North Bay Village Mayor Connie Leon-Krepps when she had a legal issue, and that she tried to turn the bill in to the Village for payment. See the blog North Bay Village Reality Based Community for further evidence, documented in detail. Do all these corruptocrats have the same attorneys?
Ben Kuehne is the go-to Attorney to the corruptocrat politicians of South Florida.
Sorry, Stephanie, I just did a quick search on Attorney Keuhne and answered my own question….Hol-y Cra-p!
He was indicted in the famous Medillin Money Laundering and Drug Case in 2008. See source info below.
https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2008/February/08_crm_095.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008
http://WWW.USDOJ.GOV
CRM
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888
Benedict P. Kuehne, Two Others, Indicted on Money Laundering Charges
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Miami has charged three individuals with federal money laundering charges, obstruction of justice and forfeiture allegations, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today.
The defendants are Benedict P. Kuehne, a Miami-based attorney, Gloria Florez Velez, an accountant from Medellin, Colombia, and Oscar Saldarriaga Ochoa, an attorney based in Medellin, Colombia.
All of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, four counts of concealment money laundering, and one count of obstruction of justice. The indictment also seeks forfeiture in excess of $5 million. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum period of 20 years incarceration and a $250,000 fine, in addition to the criminal forfeiture.
As alleged in the indictment, Fabio Ochoa Vazquez (hereinafter “Ochoa”) was one of the world’s largest cocaine traffickers and a leader of the Medellin Cartel. In September 2001, Ochoa was extradited from Colombia to stand trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for conspiring to distribute cocaine in the United States and elsewhere. He was charged with smuggling approximately 30 tons of powder cocaine per month into the United States between 1997 and 1999, and ultimately convicted of those offenses in May 2003.
Ochoa’s criminal defense attorneys retained defendant Kuehne to investigate the source of the funds Ochoa intended to use to pay his attorneys’ fees and to ensure that the funds were not proceeds, or commingled with proceeds, from Ochoa’s drug trafficking activities. From 2001 until 2003, defendant Kuehne purportedly conducted a due diligence investigation, with the assistance of defendant Saldarriaga, who was working out of the office of Ochoa’s criminal defense attorneys in Miami, and defendant Florez, Ochoa’s personal accountant based in Colombia.
The indictment alleges that defendants Kuehne, Florez and Saldarriaga knew that the funds used by Ochoa consisted of, or were at least commingled with, proceeds of drug trafficking and that the defendants conspired to, and did in fact, conceal such information. The indictment alleges that Kuehne drafted six opinion letters falsely advising Ochoa’s legal defense team that he had conducted a thorough and independent investigation into the source of funds. Through these opinion letters, defendant Kuehne advised Ochoa’s criminal defense team that the funds Ochoa used to pay his attorneys fees were free from any taint of illegal activity, did not represent the proceeds of criminal conduct, and were not commingled with proceeds of drug trafficking. Thereafter, Florez, Kuehne and Saldarriaga made four outgoing wire transfers, totaling $5,239,653.67 from Kuehne’s attorney trust account to Ochoa’s legal defense team, representing payments by Ochoa for his legal fees and expenses.
Assistant Attorney General Fisher was joined in today’s announcement by Eileen C. Mayer, Chief, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation Division; Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Amos Rojas, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE); and Maria Del Pilar Hurtado, Director, Colombia Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS). Assistant Attorney General Fisher commended the investigative efforts of all the cooperating agencies. The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Senior Trial Attorney John W. Sellers and Trial Attorney Thomas J. Pinder.”
Good find! Kuehne apparently beat the charges. He must have gotten a good attorney.
That was an uninformed cheap shot against Kuhne. His representation of accused politicos of questionable character stems from his ordeal with the federal charges against him.
If you want to suspend due process and get right to the sentencing phase of our criminal justice system after someone is charged, then go ahead and change the U.S. and Florida constitutions.
If you take 15 mins to research the charges against Kuhne beside the government news release and initial stories, you will discover that nearly the entire legal community in South Florida came to his defense. It sparked shock and outrage. Such was the professional reputation of Kuhne, and the stakes involved in this case.
The case in question was an abhorrent prosecutorial overreach. It was meant to have a chilling effect on criminal defense lawyers by cutting off even legitimate pots of money for their fees. It went to the heart of everything we hold dear in the United States — the government does NOT have unlimited powers to seize property and one’s liberty.
Should Kuhne perhaps be a little more discriminating in choosing his clients? Maybe. He’s like the old lady who just can’t say no to helping stray dogs or cats. Some are just nasty beasts that end up mauling your neighbor’s kid.
Should he be vilified for being the target of overzealous and overreaching federal prosecutors? Absolutely not. We should applaud him for standing up for all of us with his spirited defense.
Just saying.
It was a cheap shot that I said he got a good attorney? Hardly. It was, however, sarcasm. In any event, I definitely believe that everyone is entitled to a legal defense. I also agree that there are people who are falsely accused (such as North Miami Police Commander Emile Hollant) for crimes they did not commit. In such instances, the only recourse is to hire the best attorney one can afford. There is no doubt that Kuehne is one of the best in South Florida.
However, as you pointed out, he also chooses to represent some of the biggest scumbags in Miami-Dade County, such as Frantzie and Myron Rosner, among others. That fact that he is not more discriminating is one of the reasons I criticize him. He has to know that Frantz Pierre is a criminal – HE STOLE FROM A CHURCH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! He also knew that Myron committed the crimes for which he was arrested and convicted. There’s no doubt that Kuehne can be a godsend for those falsely accused of crimes, but when he represents people like Frantz and Myron, it only hurts his own reputation. Just saying.
Dear Mrs. Kuhne, er, “Liberty Rules”
It’s amazing you defend your husband on how he was picked on by Federal prosecutors. You called it prosecutorial misconduct yet your Benny has no problem abusing the court scheduling process to benefit his scumbag clients. Your Benny requested delay after delay after delay in the prosecution of dirtbag ex-mayor Myron Rosner. He abused the court process by claiming he wasn’t available on over dozen separate court dates, hoping that by delaying the inevitiable, he would succeed at dening justice.
If you make your living in the pig stye, you will always carry around the smell.