Centners were granted immunity to testify in criminal case against Miami commissioner
State prosecutors offered immunity to two wealthy private school operators for testifying in the criminal case against a Miami city commissioner that led to his arrest on money laundering and bribery charges, newly obtained audio reveals.
That couple, David and Leila Centner, inked a contract with the city of Miami in 2022 allowing them to build a sports dome on a city-owned property called Biscayne Park in exchange for a $10 million investment in the land. That deal is at the center of the state’s case against former Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla. Prosecutors allege the Centners funneled $245,000 through their lobbyist, Bill Riley Jr., to two political committees controlled by Díaz de la Portilla to secure his support for the project.
In a pair of audio recordings obtained by the Miami Herald, the Centners can be heard agreeing to provide prosecutors with information related to the state’s investigation of Díaz de la Portilla and Riley on the condition that they won’t be charged. The immunity deal has not previously been reported.
“And the purpose of this subpoena is, among other things, to give you the assurance of immunity so that you can speak freely,” Assistant State Attorney Janine Rice can be heard saying to David Centner. “Immunity, it protects you from prosecution about things that are within the scope of our investigation.“
Rice gave a similar explanation to Leila Centner, telling her that the immunity does not extend outside the scope of the investigation and that “you have immunity, but you can’t start confessing sins that I can’t give you immunity for.”
The Centners have denied any wrongdoing; Díaz de la Portilla and Riley have pleaded not guilty.
READ MORE: Leila and David Centner caught up in Miami commissioner’s corruption scandal
The Centners did not immediately respond to the Herald’s request for comment. After publication, David Centner reached out to the Herald with a statement, saying he and his wife were not granted an “immunity deal as the media has characterized it.”
“We were called into the prosecutor’s office back in September to provide statements under oath about our knowledge of any wrongdoing,” Centner told the Herald.
He said the immunity was guaranteed by the subpoena issued and that there was “no negotiated immunity beforehand” and they “simply responded to the subpoena as required.”
“I didn’t even know about the immunity until I walked into that meeting,“ Centner said.
After establishing immunity, the Centners went on to give in-depth interviews to prosecutors under oath.
The interviews took place Sept. 11, 2023 — three days before Díaz de la Portilla and Riley were arrested. The couple gave separate interviews to prosecutors, each over an hour long.
On Thursday, David Centner announced that he and Leila were pulling out of the Biscayne Park deal amid public pushback. Hours later, the Miami City Commission voted unanimously to revoke the contract.
This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 5:53 PM.
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