It has been quite a twenty four hours for the newly suspended Mayor of North Miami.
Just yesterday, Lucie Tondreau was Shopping for North Miami at the Recon Convention in Las Vegas.
Today she was being led in handcuffs from the FBI Headquarters in North Miami Beach to the Federal Courthouse in Miami.
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock since the news broke yesterday morning and have no clue what’s going on, here’s a brief recap of the indictment handed down from the US Attorney’s Office:
Wilfredo A. Ferrer, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, issued a News Release this afternoon, Four Individuals Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Mortgage Fraud Scheme. The indictment of Karl Oreste, 56, of Miramar, Marie Lucie Tondreau, a/k/a “Lucie Tondreau”, 54, of North Miami, Okechukwu Josiah Odunna, a/k/a “O.J. Odunna”, 49, of Lauderdale Lakes, and Kelly Augustin, 57, of North Miami, came after a nine year investigation of a mortgage fraud scheme that occurred from December, 2005 through May, 2008.
Since this morning, Tondreau turned herself in, appeared in court, bonded out of jail, got suspended from office by the Governor and gave a brief statement to the press.
All without breaking a sweat.
Say what you will about Lucie Tondreau, but she is one tough cookie. A lesser woman (or man) would have fallen apart at the seams under such pressure.
As Channel 7’s Rosh Lowe reported:
“We have to look forward to this and to the end of this. I’m innocent and I’m sure my attorneys, my community will be with me. All I have to say is North Miami stand tall,” said Tondreau after she bonded out.
Lest you think you can write off Lucie that easily, just remember one thing.
I rest my case.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Seems like mortgage fraud laws are more concrete than the “laws” of politics
A long time ago, when I was a young idealistic man..& OUTRAGED that crooked politicians in North Miami were allowing toxic materials to be dumped at a site near my NMB home.. I found myself on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Frustrated by the helplessness I felt, (fighting local state & federal officials) I went to speak with NMB Mayor Joe Moffit. (In those days, elected officials were actually HAPPY to meet with citizens) Joe was pushing 90 at that time, & said to me,
“Son, in my 6 decades of service to the public, I know ONE THING that’s certain, ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW, & THOSE THAT FORGET THAT FACT, PAY DEARLY!”
At the time I thought he was going senile. But, at 63, I have to say, he was RIGHT!
(Whether they go out in handcuffs, or the voters throw them out, they all Pay Dearly)
Wow. The “rally ’round Lucie” mentality is intriguing. You said it correctly in another post that this woman took advantage of Haitian immigrants and now “the community” is rallying around here. I do not understand that at all.
Oh and Daphne Campbell? Another big WOW and SMH.
Where does Coco Duce get the dough to pay Kuehne?
I love how “her” community is rallying around her like she’s some sort of Queen to them. They feel for her and ask that the community stand by her. Hey, community! How about standing behind the victims of your community that she took advantage of. I feel so sorry for the residents of North Miami, the ones that voted for her and are so beyond disillusioned and the ones that didn’t vote for her, but couldn’t get the rest of their neighbors out to not vote for her. I have lost all hope for our society, I really have. Then you have the City of North Miami Beach where last night as I watched yet another charade by the usual cast of characters. Some actually yelled at their elected officials like they were reprimanding a bunch of 7 year old’s. One lady actually held up a sign that said she was speaking for the entire 43 some odd thousand of residents. Hey listen up North Miami Beach resident’s, you never realize how good you have it until you are lead by a bunch of crooks. Can’t imagine who the next Mayor of North Miami will be. I’ll assume the resident’s haven’t learned their lesson yet.