Tamarac’s Atkins-Grad Faces More Trouble
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Tamarac Commission Patricia “Patte” Atkins-Grad, who is already fighting a recall, now also faces allegations she broke state ethics laws.
The Florida Ethics Commission has scheduled a probable cause hearing July 26 concerning allegations Atkins-Grad failed to report on state financial disclosure forms the $6,300 she received from developer Shawn Chait.
The complaint was filed by blogger Chaz Stevens, who broke the story of the probable cause hearing on his website here.
“My allegation … Atkins-Grad needs to report any gift greater than $100, and that’s done via the filing of a Form 8B. Since she received the money and didn’t file, she violated (Florida law),” Stevens wrote Browardbeat.com.
Holding a probable cause hearing is a significant intermediate step in the ethics complaint process. Most complaints are tossed without holding any hearing.
If commissioners find Atkins-Grad violated state ethics laws after several more steps in the process, she would generally face a small fine.
Atkins-Grad was acquitted on charges of corruption last year for taking $6,300 from Chait. She admitted taking the gift, but didn’t know it was against the law.
Since the ethics commission allegations involve civil, not criminal, penalties, the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy does not apply.
The ethics commission action is sure to boost the recall petition drive now underway to throw Atkins Grad out of office. The drive was launched because of her admission she took money from the developer
June 10th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
How is it again that Atkins-Grad admitted to anything since she never took the stand? As the Judge in her case told the jurors in her case and every other criminal case in america, arguments made by the attorneys are not evidence. Grad has never admitted to anything.
Also, someone ought to look at Atkins-Grad lawsuit the petition drive is over. The law is clear you cant use the same facts based petition once it has been disqualifed by SOE. In this case it appears they used the same exact verbiage as well as Entin and Baron sigining documents stating their new petition was a petition never used before.
June 10th, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Adkins Grad is no doubt guilty, but she was not alone in this type of unethical behavior. $6,300 is nothing compared to the secret money the Mayors committee took from two of Chait’s friends. I know hiding money is only unethical. But for Chait to reimbursed them? And if the Mayor and her campaign staff weren’t doing anything wrong, why hide it from the people?
June 10th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
High praise for Chaz Stevens. Every nail in the coffin to kill this woman’s political career is a BIG plus.
June 10th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
In this case Chaz is on point, but probably too late as I’m guessing the statute of limitations has passed. Hard to believe their could be a statute of limitations on ethics, but welcome to Florida. I wonder if Stuart and Ilene Lieberman – Michelson are representing her in this action also, or just in her suit against the City of Tamarac, the Supervisor of Elections and the Recall Committee. Funny how nobody writes about Ilene Lieberman and Stuart Michelson suing three groups Ilene can’t stand. Ilene hates Tamarac, Brenda Snipes, and the Entin/Baron faction, but we haven’t heard a thing about that.
FROM BUDDY:
The statute on criminal charges starts running after the elected official leaves office. The ethic laws probably work the same way.
June 11th, 2013 at 11:07 am
Buddy, I hope you’re correct about the ethics statute. She may have gotten away with this in criminal al court, but surely the Ethics Commission must take issue with this. So is Lieberman – Michelson representing her in this action as well?
June 11th, 2013 at 8:14 pm
The real point is what you stated “if sustained-fine-“she faces a small fine” Enough said. Boy this Chaz Stevens huh. This was an easy one. Like Stevens here is J.Edgar Hoover(any dresses in your closest besides your sexuality??). And again for someone that is not employed(yes, I have called him out on this(Chaaz)several times. So w/ someone w/ so much free time, I would expect greater revelations than Comm.Atkins Grad’ drama. Pay the fine Patti, no more no less. Besides you got the big “kawhona” Ms.red herself Ilene Lieberman, and her husband representing Comm.Grad to boot. Lets move on..
June 11th, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Where are the big mouths from the recall committee??? Keeping their mouths shut because they know they screwed up big time. The law is clear if your first petition gets shot down by some you can’t use it again.they not only used it again but it appears they signed affidavits saying the last petition was original.
Come big moutn sStroker or Barron or Alvin speak up.all they have done is hire a lawyer who had an issue with the judge to force arecusal. No one has said the allegations in the lawsuit are false. Delay delay delay.
If they were really so incompetent to screw up the second petition and wast all of the volunteers time they will make Atkins grad look like a Mensa candidate
July 17th, 2013 at 8:19 am
Just getting around reading this old post by “Silence” this rainy July morning long after Judge Michael Gates denied Atkins-Grad’s suit on all these grounds and silently chuckling to myself.
Thanks for the laugh.