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part of the investigation where Pizzi, as city attorney of Medley, proposed that the city apply for the grant that he knew, by then, was bogus.
“The other concern is that some of the stuff was for his re-election campaign or PAC, and something that may have had to do with the toy drive,” he said, because some of the bribes were campaign contributions. “We do not believe that anything he was doing with those agents and with those grants had to do with the town of Miam Lakes.”
But wait a minute. Does the bribe have to go into the town coffers 
in order for it to be a bribe? They didn’t approach Pizzi with this scheme if he was just the city attorney of Medley. They wanted elected officials.
That’s when the public purpose part comes in. Even though the undercover agents told Pizzi that he might get some kind of survey out of the grant, there was no reason for Pizzi to believe the validity of this, Gastesi said.
“The agents told him that the grants were bogus, that it wasnt the proper scheme. If you take that into context and he knew that this was an improper scheme… how could a bogus scheme that you know is bogus going to have a public purpose,” he asked.
“Definitely the things he did in Medley were not for a public purpose in Miami Lakes,” Gastesi added.
Read related story: Michael Pizzi sues Miami Lakes for $3.2 million in legal fees
But wait just one minute. Because while Pizzi certainly wasn’t serving a public purpose — he was only looking out for himself — you can’t argue that the litigation wasn’t a public purpose, if by litigation they mean Pizzi’s prosecution. That was a public service for all of us! Including the good people of Miami Lakes.
Look, Ladra doesn’t want the town of Miami Lakes, or better said,
the taxpayers, to pay this bogus bill. But it’s pretty certain that Pizzi couldn’t have been indicted for bribery in a fake federal grant scheme if he wasn’t acting in his official capacity as mayor and performing his public duties. Or pretending to anyway. It was the very elected office that federal prosecutors said he used to get those $6,000 or so in bribes.
Pizzi, who was an activist attorney for 10 years before being elected to the Miami Lakes council 16 years ago, said that many lawsuits are amended multiple times. “Sometimes, you get a chance to plead additional things. When you amend it, you make it better,” he told Ladra.
“Thius dismissal thing is a technicality. An amended complaint will be filed that will satisfy the court,” Pizzi added.
“I’ve got good lawyers.”
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Judge dismisses Michael Pizzi lawsuit vs town for legal fees added by Ladra on
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Dan, here’s an economics lesson for you: Wayne Slaton + bad legal advise from Raul Gastesi, multipled by a town council obsessed with preserving its new found powers= cost this Town hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is money that could have been spent in our schools and our neighborhoods. This obsession with Pizza brought out the worst in this community. Pizzi and the old guard, including Slaton and Mary Collins fought for this town everyday. Not a bunch self righteous power hungry politicians. How about recognizing that Miami Lakes WAS a model town. No more. It’s aging and the whole place needs a fresh coat of paint. Keep bashing Pizzi if the name calling makes you feel better. We’ve become just a crowded pass through between Hialeah and Miramar. I’ll continue to watch the gang that could shoot straight and see how you all do. I’ll continue to sit back and laugh at you all as your consumer $ pass through my hands. Good luck and grow up.
Yes, your ignorance is astounding, Enough Already. Your implication that Michael Pizzi was the cause of our rising property values is a joke. You’re a prime candidate for a remedial economics course. And crime? What did he do to address crime that other council members didn’t? Perhaps if you were actually more involved, you’d be more informed and less ignorant. Gotta love the dream team comment. Very telling of who you are ;). Michael Pizzi is self serving scum who would rather place the entire burden for this litigation on us than on Medley where it belongs. Nice way to pay back the people you “serve.”
It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant some folks can be. Regardless of your bias against Michael Pizzi, he has served this Town Of Miami Lakes. Served, as in “Service.” Where the heck have you all been? Sitting back and doing nothing while your property values have grown and crime remained low. The man worked and cared. Pizzi was targeted, acquitted and reinstated. Teach that to your children. The battles that followed cost Miami Lakes hundreds or thousands of $ because others wanted power and control. What they lost in the courts they won at the polls; that’s the American Way. Every politician eventually falls to voter fatigue- such was Pizzi fate. People want to move forward. Let’s start now– as I’ve said before, the town will need to write some checks, either to the Dream Team or its own lawyers (Raul is really cleaning up, huh? Lol). If not, the litigation will continue and every month another executive session to debate the Pizzi Matter. Come on, settle and move on. Imagine the day you won’t have Pizzi to kick around anymore…. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. After all, isn’t it…. ENOUGH ALREADY 😀
Still the POS we all knew him to be. Glad Miami Lakes finally got the message. Go fuck yourself, Mike.
Ifnhe wasn’t mayor there would be no bribe? Guess if he wasn’t mayor there would have been no tree in front of his car either.
It has been a tough year for Vaudeville Acts! Poor Pizzi Shemp can’t get anything done right. Wonder how his two sidekicks Mailman Jorge and Homophobic Armesto are feeling these days. All we have left are reruns lol.