Despite all the fresh meat in the political corruption grinder, the long-suffered federal tax evasion and fraud case against former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina is still churning.
Several sources told Ladra that subpoenas were served on several people involved in the case, including City Clerk Marbelys Fatjo and other city employees as well as Councilwoman Vivian “I’ll Notarize That!” Casals-Muñoz, who was apparently the official notary public on most of Robaina’s questionable deals for the First Hialeah Bank of Julito.
According to someone with inside sources, the subpoenas were also going to Robertico Blanco and his mother, Mercedes Blanco, who were involved in the loans with Robaina, Rodolfo Blanco, Robertico’s uncle, Daniel Hernandez and Luis Estrada of the Hialeah Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Eduardo “Yoyito” Rodriguez, who was the driver for Luis Felipe “Felipito” Perez, the convicted Ponzi schemer who turned on Robaina to gain favor with the prosecutors, and former City Clerk David Concepcion, who moved for a better job on the West Coast. There may have also been one for a woman who worked for Casals-Munoz as an assistant or secretary.
Ladra fully expects that city employee Willy Zuñiga will also be called testify about the mortgage loan he says he got from the Robainas and Casals-Munoz paying nearly 36 percent interest, a loan which he then sued all parties on.
The trial is set for Nov. 4 but the subpoenas may be seen as a pressuring tool to make the Robainas more eager to cop a plea deal.
Robaina and his wife Raiza both posted bond in May after surrendering to federal authorities on charges of tax evasion, fraud and falsification of documents. Though he is not charged with usery, the case stems from an investigation into allegations that Robaina ran a secret shadow banking scheme in Hialeah, loaning money at exorbitant — and illegal — interest rates.
The star witness is convicted Ponzi schemer Perez a former member of the Hialeah Chamber of Commerce who plead guilty in 2010 of operating the $45 million scam and who is cooperating to reduce his 10-year sentence. He told investigators he borrowed a total of $750,000 from the Robainas over two years, in 2006 and 2007, and that some of those loans were mortgages on his properties.
On paper, the loan agreements show an interest rate of 18 percent. But Perez has reportedly told prosecutors that the actual interest rate was 36 percent – a usury rate that would be illegal. Perez has made the same allegations against Hialeah Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez, who has said first that the 36 percent payments were interest and then — when he realized he couldn’t say that — said they were on the principal and not interest. Nobody believes him.
Ladra did not know at time of this posting if Hernandez had been served with a subpoena. One would surmise that he should be since he was brought into the banking business by his political mentor and predecessor, Robaina.
Or maybe he wouldn’t be, which might indicate that (a) he is already talking and has turned over state’s evidence and/or (b) they are also investigating him.
Stay tuned.
Subpoenas land in federal case vs. Hialeah’s Julio Robaina added by Ladra on
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