Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez — who has been denying allegations for years that he committed felony usury — took to the stand in his predecessor’s trial and admitted that he loaned money at 36% interest to a convicted Ponzi schemer who is now the feds’ star witness in the tax evasion and fraud trial against former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and his wife.
Ladra wasn’t there. A conflicting obligation kept me away from the courthouse this morning (though sources had told me to be there because it could happen). A little birdie let me know after the trial broke for lunch and Enrique Flor already reported that much in El Nuevo Herald online. A staff photographer tweeted this picture (above) of Hernandez arriving at the courthouse with his Chief of Staff, Arnie Alonso, close behind.
What inquiring minds want to know is what did Hernandez say about Robaina? After all, the mentor is the one on trial here. Perhaps prosecutors were simply establishing that 36% was the going rate at the 1st Hialeah Bank of Julito. That is twice the legal 18% rate Florida law caps for loans under $500,000. Perhaps Hernandez, who obviously got into the shadow banking business through his political mentor, told the court that Robaina told him to charge that much.
Either way, it doesn’t look good for Robaina.
Other obvious questions to Ladra right now is (1) why wasn’t Hernandez on the original witness list if he said that he had been summoned to testify two weeks ago? (2) Might this mean the elusive mistress that prosecutors say is why Robaina took cash payments also testify (she was not on the list either)? (3) Is Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador, who has represented both mayors, having a conflicting moment? And (4) Why didn’t Robaina’s defense attorney — who has painted Luis Felipe “Felipito” Perez as a criminal who would say anything to get time off — ask Hernandez, during cross, if he had gotten immunity in exchange for his testimony? Seems like a relatively boilerplate question to ask, to throw some shadow of doubt toward the jury, no?
Yes, dear readers, sources have told Ladra that Hernandez — like Councilwoman Vivian Casals-Munoz, expected on the stand this afternoon, and others testifying — have been promised immunity. That would mean that Hernandez — who we now know committed the same crimes as Robaina (who is likely bound for prison) — will never be charged. In connection to this, anyway. There’s plenty more for the feds to look at (read: call me).
But maybe, just maybe, this hampers his chances of re-election in 2017. Oh, who am I kidding? This is Hialeah, we’re talking about. The voters there are not big on squeaky clean candidates. They once re-elected former Mayor Raul Martinez after a federal indictment he was eventually acquitted on.
Of course, Martinez didn’t take the stand and admit he was a felon. Quite a different scenario here, no matter how many times Hernandez calls himself a victim of Felipito Perez.
Better yet, does anyone know if Gov. Rick Scott — who has an arguably tough re-election of his own much closer — has any discretion about suspending elected officials? Must they be indicted or charged with a crime first?
Or is it enough if they, say, just admit to a felony under oath in a trial against their one-time political mentor?
Or, and here’s my last question for now, will Hernandez just get away with it — like he gets away with every other abuse he commits — and continue “serving the public” like nothing happened?
Carlos Hernandez testifies in Robaina trial, admits crime added by Ladra on
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