There is so much corruption in the City of North Miami that it’s almost impossible to keep up with it all. It’s even harder to keep track of all the players and the intertwined relationships they all have among themselves. Never mind that theory called Six Degrees of Separation, in which it is believed that everyone in the world is connected to every other person by a maximum of six steps. In North Miami, the politicians in the Circle of Corruption are connected by no more than two.
The bigger problem, however, is that those politicians are no longer content to contain that Circle of Corruption within their own city. They are bound and determined to spread their toxic waste to North Miami Beach.
As I reported in Who’s election is this anyway?, one of the candidates being endorsed by NMB’s Pierre (a/k/a L’il Frantzie P), Jean D. Berrouet received a $500.00 donation from a company called Compas Investment Group, LLC. That company is owned by Herby and Julina Dorval. Turns out, Herby Dorval’s connection to North Miami is not just through his partner, Elmitide Tillus, as I noted in the column. Herby Dorval’s relationship with North Miami mayor Andre Pierre goes way back.
In August of 2011, Andre found himself in hot water, as usual, for using a city facility, the Gwen Margolis Center, to host a private event. City facilities are only supposed to be used for public events, but Andre didn’t care. According to an article in the Examiner:
“Pierre initially admitted that the event was a private one in an interview with the Miami Herald Monday and then quickly backtracked saying as mayor, any gathering he attends in the city’s boundaries makes it an official city event. “If I’m sponsoring it and I’m part of an event happening in the city of North Miami, yes, it’s considered to be an official city event,” Pierre said.
North Miami City Manager Russell Benford said he took the mayor at his word that the affair was open to the public and approved the mayor’s request to use the park facilities for free. “I was not aware it was a private event,” Benford said Tuesday. “We have an internal facility request form and it indicated it was for a city function for community leaders. That’s the information that we had.” The party, according to attendees, was to honor several recent graduates of FIU’s nursing program.
Herby Dorval, a Haitian radio host, said he and other Haitian radio hosts planned the celebration to honor recent graduates from FIU’s nursing program and to inspire young Haitian Americans to pursue higher education. Among the honorees was Dorval’s wife.”
By accepting a $500.00 donation from Andre Pierre crony, Herby Dorval, it’s quite apparent that Jean D. Berrouet is a member of North Miami’s Circle of Corruption.
Moving right along.
As I reported only this morning in It’s all about the money, Part II, North Miami candidate Hans Mardy paid $2,000.00 to Sinal Consulting Group, LLC to work for his campaign. I alluded to the fact that one of the principles, Maxo Sinal, was connected to several other key members of the Circle of Corruption, but it took a reader to remind me that I had already written about Mr. Sinal last summer! In Oh! Marie!, I wrote:
“Back in August of 2011, Councilwoman Steril was accused of “steering a $5 million contract to a company run by her friends.” The Miami Herald ran that article on August 2nd, but unfortunately it’s not online anymore so I can’t post the link. Email me if you’d like a copy. The article stated that at a council meeting in April, 2011, she voted to award a bidding contract to Kaufman Lynn Construction of Boca Raton for an improvement project in the city’s Claude Pepper Park. According to Mayor Andre Pierre’s nephew/campaign manager Ricard Brutus, who got busted for soliciting bribes, Ms. Steril’s good friend and campaign consultant, Maxo Sinal “would make money off the contract.” By sheer coincidence, Mr. Sinal was “hired by Kaufman Lynn to serve as the community liaison on the project.” Ironically, a man named Jeff Cazeau, who claims to have recommended Mr. Sinal to Kaufman Lynn, was also Mayor Pierre’s campaign consultant.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave.”
Tangled indeed!
Another ex-officio member of the North Miami Circle of Corruption would be our very own Pierre, a/k/a Frantz Pee-Air. Along with the other Pierre in a Pod, a/k/a Andre, North Miami city clerk, The Hon. Michael A. Etienne, Esquire, his law partner Phillip J. Brutus, and former North Miami mayor Joe Celestin thrown in for good measure, The P Man is endorsing not one, but two, candidates to run for office in the City of North Miami Beach.
While I have already established the North Miami connection with Jean D. Berrouet, the other candidate Yvenoline Dargenson does not appear to be a member of the Inner Circle. Not yet, anyway.
However, appearance is EVERYTHING. And, from the appearance of this full color, two sided mailer sent out last week, it appears that the members of the Circle of Corruption have every intention of bringing her into the fold.
The old adage that you are judged by the company you keep has never rung truer.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Circles within circles…so many municipalities and so many circles of corruption lying within.
An old adage that also rings true is “For evil to flourish, all that is necessary is for good people to do nothing.” Those silent lambs who see no evil only encourage more evil to flourish.
As you so accurately state “It’s almost impossible to keep up with it all…and harder to keep track of all the players.” But you manage to do a pretty good job. Don’t ever stop.
I refuse to do nothing when I smell corruption. I guess I’ll never be invited to join the Inner Circle. 😉
Who was this mailer sent to? None of my neighbors received it, and neither did I. Could it have something to do with our (lack of) ethnicity?
It is my understanding that if your last name doesn’t sound Haitian, you weren’t on the mailing list.