State ethics commission: David Rivera broke 11 ethics laws while serving in Florida Legislature
Source: Miami Herald
Posted on Wednesday, 10.24.12
State ethics commission: David Rivera broke 11 ethics laws while serving in Florida Legislature
The state ethics panel found, among other charges, that former state Rep. David Rivera — now a congressman — broke state ethics laws by failing to fully disclose his finances from 2005 to 2009.
By Scott Hiaasen and Patricia Mazzei
shiaasen@MiamHerald.com
Already facing FBI probes and a daunting reelection, U.S. Rep. David Rivera was charged Wednesday by state authorities with 11 counts of violating ethics laws for filing bogus financial disclosure forms, misusing campaign funds and concealing a $1 million consulting contract with a Miami gambling business while serving in the state Legislature.
Investigators with the Florida Commission on Ethics found that Rivera’s secret deal to work as a political consultant for the Magic City Casino — formerly the Flagler Dog Track — created a conflict of interest for the lawmaker. The ethics panel also found that the Republican broke state ethics laws by failing to fully disclose his finances from 2005 to 2009.
Rivera was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2002. He won reelection in 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Rivera signed a consulting contract with the Magic City Casino’s owners in 2006 to run a campaign to win voter approval for slot machines at Miami-Dade pari-mutuels. But Rivera had the money from the deal sent to Millennium Marketing, a company founded by his mother and godmother, records show. Rivera then received at least $132,000 back from Millennium — money that Rivera has called loans that did not have to be disclosed.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/24/3065216/state-ethics-commission-david.html#storylink=cpy
= new reply since forum marked as read
