The United States Attorney Wilfredo A. Ferrer announced that Karl Oreste pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was arrested on May 19, 2014, at which time the U.S. Attorney stated in a News Release:
“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, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and six counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. “The indictment alleges that over the course of the conspiracy, the defendants fraudulently obtained loans on approximately 20 properties, for which the lenders have suffered losses in the amount of approximately $8,000,000.00. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison.
I detailed the wire fraud counts, as well as information about the defendants, in a previous column, Anatomy of a Mortgage Scam, shorty after the arrests.
The New Release also noted that, “An indictment is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Karl Oreste apparently felt that there was enough evidence against him to prove his guilt since he admitted as much before U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr.
It will be interesting to see if any of Oreste’s co-defendants will also plead guilty instead of choosing to go to trial.
Former North Miami Mayor Lucie Tondreau, who was subsequently removed from office by Governor Rick Scott, has maintained her innocence even before she turned herself in on May 20, 2014. She is represented by Benedict P. Kuehne.
“A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.”
You can download a .pdf copy of the press release by clicking here.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
UPDATE: The Miami Herald just posted its article. Click: here.
how does lucie afford ben kuehne in this matter? has she moved back to broward now that she doesn’t have to pretend to be a resident of nomi? will the city of nomi add anything to the charter that says if the gov. has to remove you from office, you are forever prevented from running for office again? she used racism and deception to win office and for that alone, is a despicable person we don’t ever need to see again in a leadership role.
What’s going to be really interesting is when he testifies against Tondreau. He knew he was had, so no sense in going to trial. If his attorney was smart he struck a deal with the US Attorney’s Office for a reduced sentence. Just remember, the first one to squeal gets to be the first one to deal!
Lucie Tondreau, after living in Miami for so long forgot that Miami is a city in Florida, a US State. She completely forgot that Bill Clinton was indicted during office! What a shame. I understand that money is important, however spending time in jail whether a week or a decade is not worth it. She proved that she is nothing but a racketeer. Now, how does Florida ends up with these characters as politicians is a big mistery to me. Such a big and important city should not have bleak figures such as Tondreau and all the rest I have seen lately! They are ugly inside out! They look awful for crying outloud. I am from LA. Our politicians must reflect the city they represent. I could see Lucie in some run down country town in Alabama, but Miami! I listened to her speeches,even in Haiti the mayors do much better, look much better and are Much Much much better educated! Shame on you Miami.