Miami Herald: Josephus Eggelletion likely to plead guilty
Nov 25, 2009
Suspended Broward Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion will be charged Wednesday with money-laundering conspiracy.
BY AMY SHERMAN
Miami Herald–November 25, 2009
Suspended Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, arrested in a federal corruption investigation in September, will be charged with one count of money-laundering conspiracy on Wednesday.
Eggelletion will appear in federal court in Fort Lauderdale to enter a plea to a 15-page “information” filed Tuesday. This type of charging document signals that the veteran politician is expected to plead guilty to the charge, possibly as early as Wednesday.
The felony carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Eggelletion tried to enrich himself by laundering between $1 million and $2 million through bank accounts in the Bahamas and by evading federal taxes, according to the information. He is accused of conspiring with two Broward businessmen, Ron Owens and Joel Williams, and Bahamian attorney Sidney Cambridge, whose charges have not been resolved.
Eggelletion and his attorney Johnny McCray could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But in an interview Monday, Eggelletion, 60, denied that a plea deal was in the works.
Asked how he was coping, he said: “Why should I be emotionally distraught? God is chastising me, but he has yet to give me over to death. I’m just here to find his purpose in my life and carry out His will.”
On Monday, Gov. Charlie Crist, who suspended Eggelletion after his arrest, appointed Dania Beach City Commissioner Al Jones to replace him on the County Commission. The district spans several cities from Fort Lauderdale to Pompano Beach.
Eggelletion’s two-decade career in public office — including the Florida Legislature — came crashing down when federal agents arrested him Sept. 23 at his Lauderdale Lakes home.
Federal officials announced three separate corruption cases against Eggelletion, Broward School Board member Beverly Gallagher and former Miramar City Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman.
The FBI launched its corruption investigation in Broward in 2005. In February 2006, a local official referred to as “F.S.” — assumed to be Fitzroy Salesman — introduced undercover agents to Eggelletion, according to the information.
Eggelletion told an agent that if he wanted to do some deals in the Bahamas, he could help.
He agreed to give undercover agents contacts in the Bahamas to open offshore bank accounts stating that “in the Bahamas he does not have to adhere to strict ethical restrictions.”
In December 2006 when the agent and a cooperating witness told Eggelletion that they were seeking “to hide their client’s proceeds from a European high yield investment fraud scheme that was sending out `made up’ statements to clients, Eggelletion stated he would not introduce them to someone who would harm them.”
In February 2007, Eggelletion introduced the agents to Williams and Owens to help the agent open a bank account. The agent and a cooperating witness told Williams and Owens that they had a client who worked with an investment club who was going to “get caught.”
Williams said it wasn’t considered laundered money as long as it did not involve “arms, drugs or terrorists.”
On March 6, 2007, Williams and Owens met with Cambridge and agreed that Eggelletion would get a cut along with the three of them for the money laundered.
The information describes how that spring the co-conspirators started to take wire transfers and open accounts starting in March 2007. The wire transfers totaled more than $1 million.
In March, 2007 Owens and Williams met with the undercover agents and agreed that Eggelletion would get 2 percent, according to the information.
On June 6, 2007, Owens and Williams took $14,000 from the undercover agent representing part of one of the transactions for the co-conspirators. Two days later, Owens told the agent that he put Eggelletion’s cut into his golf bag.
More payments were wired and transferred in August and September 2007. On Sept. 12, Owens told an agent to place his and Eggelletion’s cuts into envelopes. The agent put Eggelletion’s $3,300 portion into a passport holder.
Around Nov. 26, 2007, Owens told the undercover agent that “Every time I got money Joe [defendant Eggelletion[ has got the same money. I can guarantee you that.”
Two days later, Owens took $5,000 from an agent. That same day Eggelletion took $5,000 in a day planner from an agent, according to the information.
But it appeared that Eggelletion had grown suspicious.
A day later, Eggelletion delivered a letter along with that cash to Owens “stating he was `shocked’ to find money inside the organizer given to him by an undercover agent, and since it is illegal he is returning it, but he may need a loan in the future.”
On Dec. 12, 2007, Owens took $2,500 and an additional $2,500 in a leather day planner for Eggelletion.
But Eggelletion told Owens “he wanted to `check out’ the undercover agents, in that he had to be careful because people want to catch him in criminal activity.”
In September 2009, Eggelletion filed a false financial disclosure statement that listed a $15,000 payment obtained from Owens as a liability owed to Owens.