(Continued from previous page)
That internal memo from the General Auditor about the gift tickets is ultra bad enough. But it’s just the tip of her ultra unethical iceberg.
Diaz — who has both gypsy con artist liar Vanessa Brito and disgraced absentee ballot bagman Al Lorenzo working for her campaign — is also the subject of a Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust investigation into allegations that she steered city business to her boyfriend, the equally ethically-challenged Ben Alvarez, who was found guilty of misconduct by the Florida Bar in 2009. He was ordered to complete ethics training and to reimburse $22,000 to another client and pay a $2,000 fine to them. Alvarez has a new complaint against him with the Florida Bar for using his position to harass and damage the family of his ex wife. Part of the allegations is that he forged documents. In 2012, his firm was sued by State Farm for fraud in a case where it was alleged that someone’s signature was forged — and a judge ruled for the plaintiff and ordered the law firm to reimburse more than $82,000 in fees and losses. In 2009, the Florida Bar ordered him to complete ethics training and to reimburse $22,000 to another client and pay a $2,000 fine to them.
Colleagues call Alvarez “the Tony Soprano of the legal world.”
And, to make it ultra worse, Diaz said she did nothing wrong.
“It is a violation if I give work to my husband or a family member, but we’re not married,” Diaz told Ladra, and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, as if that were a good enough reason.
So, let’s get this straight. She admits she was steering city work to Alvarez’s firm — but, hey, it’s okay, they’re not married. “We just live together,” she said, with that straight-faced smile she always has that makes her look like the cat that ate the canary.
The Commission on Ethics might not think it’s okay. Their investigation is not yet complete, but when it becomes a public record, we’ll see testimony from another attorney who was hired for a complicated (read: expensive) title transfer deal at the city. This lawyer is bonded and insured for title work, and Alvarez is not. This lawyer told Ladra, and the Ethics Commission investigator, that after she was paid by the city, she had to write Alvarez a check from her personal account. For the same amount. On the same day.
Isn’t that illegal? Wouldn’t that be money laundering or third party racketeering or something? There should be a law against that because it stinks to high heaven.
Especially since many sources tell Ladra that Alvarez is the one pushing the very young Colombiana — who only worked in one law firm before her city job, and that was her husband’s — to leave her $95,000-a-year city job and run for judge. Two sources have forwarded me an email he wrote to colleagues and friends (and clients, perhaps?) urging them to contribute to her campaign. Las malas lenguas say he is trying to replace his old puppet on the bench, former judge Ana Maria Pando, who was disgraced and defeated after the Judicial Qualifying Commission reprimanded her for illegal loans to a previous campaign. She was also being investigated for writing letters on behalf of litigants before her on her judicial office letterhead when she was voted off the bench.
Guess where Pando works now? She’s one of the newest associates at Alvarez, Carbonell, Feltman & Da Silva.
Diaz said she had always wanted to be a judge and that it was offensive and ridiculous to think she was Ben’s marionette.
“Of course he’s supporting me. He’s my boyfriend. We’ve lived together for four years,” Diaz told Ladra. “But Ben Alvarez isn’t the one going to all these events every day — five, six, seven, eight times a day, every day — to campaign. That’s Veronica Diaz and her family who is doing that.”
But it is still kinda ultra scary to think that Ben’s ultra iffy law firm wants an ultra puppet judge on the bench.
And doesn’t all this make Renier Diaz de la Portilla seem almost like a dream candidate?
Just like his brothers before him, Baby DLP has real accomplishments in his track record that the media often conveniently forgets.
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For judge: Renier DLP vs Veronica D = promise vs. puppet added by Ladra on
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[…] his then girlfriend, Veronica Diaz, who was an assistant city attorney in Miami. And, in 2012, a judge ruled against his firm in a fraud case involving forged documents requiring more than $82,000 in […]
[…] de la Portilla ran for judge in 2014, and lost against Veronica Diaz, a former assistant city of Miami attorney. He also lost his bid […]
Renier DLP advocated for advancing prayers in the public schools. That was way back when he was first on the School Board and I believe it was voted down. That makes him qualified to be a church pastor, or catholic priest, not holder of any political office and worst of all a Circuit Court Judge.
Veronica Diaz is prettier. She gets my vote.
Sam
People, check this out!!!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/07/ethics-probe-ast-miami-city-attorney-steered-jobs-to-fiances-firm.html
Nice try Rich, but the guy at the 7/11 isn’t the lawyer representing the other side. Do you want your lawyer in a divorce action asking your wife for gifts or money? Either way, whether you understand it or not, it’s a violation of Florida Bar rules.
I’ve gotten free tickets to Ultra… The family gives those tickets freely.. I know them closely… They also gave free tickets to the guy at the 7/11 across the street from one of the owners apartments… To be honest, either way, she seems to be showing more of a presence in this campaign….
Fredo DLP vs a chick whose claim to fame is dating the biggest scumbag in the entire SoFla legal community.
Awesome.
Great cortadito. I met Veronica at an event last week. She goes around bragging that she has integrity and ethics and she is far from it. There is an old saying in Spanish “dime de lo que presumes y te dire de lo que careces.” I think Mrs. Xiques-Diaz needs to be before a judge and not wanting to be one.
Please take a look at the countless Legal Opinions proffered by Veronica Xiques over at the City of Miami and its instrumentality agencies. They are worthless and baseless, written to satisfy the politicians at hand and not to protect the public at large.
Furthermore, Veronica changed her last name to strategically garner the Cuban vote. Veronica you are pathetic! You will suck on a tit of a cow if you have to get voted in as judge. After all, you have sucked on other things that are worse to get you ways.
thank you for enlightening me… you do a bang up job with this blog.
You have your tongue so far up Baby DLP’s ass it’s obvious. I don’t know Veronica Diaz but I know Renier and he’s a scumbag with no trial or true legal experience.
Ewwww, Mr. Arthur. Everyone knows that Baby DLP is the one I like the least. If my tongue is going anywhere near them, it ain’t there.
Are you one of those friends of Veronica’s that got free Ultra tickets? Because I have heard since this post that she got far more than just two. There is still an investigation ongoing about it.
And even if you’re not, is this really what you want for a judge?
Love, Ladra
Great BLOG. This is just awful. She admittedly steered City business to her live-in boyfriend, and then had the odasity to claim that because they aren’t married, its ok? Incredible. He is a part of her household. She is directly benefitting from the business she sent him. Of course it’s not ok. Shame on her. I can’t imagine having her as a judge. In fact, she needs to be disbarred.
And I would rather have the DLP’s in goverment any time, they are smart and sometimes tricky but they are honest and up front, you always know were you stand with them. That is a refreshing attitude today;)