Centners’ ex-lobbyist sues them, alleges they let him ‘take the fall’ in his criminal case
Miami lobbyist and attorney Bill Riley Jr. has filed a lawsuit against his former clients David and Leila Centner, alleging that the couple let him “take the fall” and failed to provide information to prosecutors that would have exonerated him in a now-dismissed money laundering and bribery case.
The lawsuit landed less than three months after prosecutors in the Broward State Attorney’s Office announced they were dropping all criminal charges against Riley and former Miami City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla. Prosecutors said in a memo that “witness testimony proved inconsistent and critical elements of the crimes charged cannot be supported by the evidence.”
Prosecutors had alleged in a 2023 arrest affidavit that nearly a quarter-million dollars in campaign contributions was channeled from the Centners to two Díaz de la Portilla-controlled political committees in order to secure his support for a “sports dome” that the Centners wanted to build on city-owned land across the street from their private school, Centner Academy. The couple had retained Riley as a lobbyist to work on land-use and zoning matters.
The Centners were not charged in the case, and prosecutors determined their political activities and contributions were lawful.
The arrest affidavit alleged that Riley created a Delaware corporation called Pristine DE LLC that transferred money to the political committees in order to “conceal” the source of funds.
But Riley alleges in the lawsuit that Pristine was ultimately owned by the Centners and that the couple had instructed Riley, through an intermediary, to open a bank account in Pristine’s name.
In his lawsuit, Riley alleges that when the Centners were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators in 2023, prior to the arrests of Riley and Díaz de la Portilla, they “feigned ignorance” of Riley’s actions on their behalf, including Leila Centner downplaying her knowledge of Pristine, “even though they well knew what he had done at their specific direction.”
“They did not volunteer the information that would have exonerated [Riley] at the pre-charge interviews or afterward,” the lawsuit alleges, “and then they refused to pay for [Riley’s] legal defense because they ‘did not want to get involved.’”
READ MORE: Centners downplay ties to arrested Miami commissioner, say they ‘sprinkle money around’
A November memo explaining why prosecutors dismissed the case said that the Centners’ donations had been lawful and that Riley had been acting as an authorized agent, concluding that “lawful actions have been misconstrued as criminal.”
Yet Riley alleged in his lawsuit that he “had his life turned upside down by virtue of his good faith and faithful service” to the Centners, who “used [Riley] when he was helpful to them and discarded him when he was not.”
Lisandra Guerrero, an attorney for the Centners, said in a statement that Riley’s lawsuit is “entirely without merit” and that the Centners “bear no responsibility for the criminal charges brought against him.”
Guerrero said the Centners retained Riley “based on his claimed expertise in real estate development, land-use, zoning, and lobbying in Miami-Dade County.”
“Now, in a striking display of misplaced blame, he seeks to sue his former clients, who relied on his supposed expertise, for his own shortcomings in the precise area for which he was hired and fully compensated,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero also alleged that Riley “knowingly provided false statements to investigators” during an interview, pointing to the arrest affidavit where investigators wrote that Riley provided contradictory statements regarding whether he was reimbursed for certain expenditures.
Riley is seeking to recover money damages from the Centners, including the hundreds of thousands of dollars he said he spent defending himself in the criminal case, “nearly bankrupting his family.”
The lawsuit also names Pristine and another Centner entity called DLC Capital Management as defendants. Those entities’ operating agreements “contain sweeping indemnification and attorneys’ fees advancement provisions” that entitle Riley to compensation “for the damages he has suffered,” according to the lawsuit.
Benjamin Brodsky, an attorney for Riley, said in a statement that the Centners “have failed to honor their legal and ethical responsibilities to Mr. Riley.”
“They can try to distract from those failures by mischaracterizing an arrest affidavit that was later disavowed by the Office of the State Attorney,” Brodsky said. “But by forcing Mr. Riley to sue them for that to which he is entitled, two things will happen: Mr. Riley will be made whole, and all kinds of truths will be revealed in the process.”
‘None of these statements were true’
In response to subpoenas, the Centners gave sworn statements to prosecutors and investigators on Sept. 11, 2023 — three days before the arrests of Díaz de la Portilla and Riley.
But Riley alleges in his lawsuit that before those sworn interviews took place, the Centners “had a meeting with business associates where they agreed to feign ignorance about [Riley’s] political activity on their behalf.”
Guerrero says that no such meeting ever occurred and that the Centners did not feign ignorance but instead answered all questions truthfully. Brodsky declined to provide further details on the alleged meeting.
During Leila Centner’s sworn statement with prosecutors and investigators, according to Riley’s lawsuit, she said she did not closely monitor invoices paid by entities under her control; that she did not “involve herself” in payments and reimbursements to Riley; that she was unaware of what Pristine DE LLC was; that she did not frequently interact with Riley; and that she did not “communicate directly or socialize with” Díaz de la Portilla.
“None of these statements were true,” the lawsuit alleges.
The Centners gave Riley “specific and detailed instructions” about who to make political contributions to and in what amount, the lawsuit alleges. In addition, Leila Centner “closely scrutinized all amounts being sent into and out of her family’s accounts,” and the Centners “had the right to — and, in fact, did — control the manner in which [Riley] performed his duties.”
The lawsuit alleges that at the time the Centners “recruited” Riley in 2019, the couple was “intent” on acquiring the rights to build a sports complex in Biscayne Park, a tract of city-owned land. As part of their efforts to acquire the rights to use the land, the lawsuit alleges, the Centners lobbied “various City of Miami politicians in support of their efforts.” But one politician — Díaz de la Portilla — “was a particular focus of their attention, and they sought to ingratiate themselves with him.”
Those efforts included directing Riley to lobby Díaz de la Portilla on their behalf, including hosting “meals and hospitality events” for which Riley was reimbursed by DLC Capital, according to the lawsuit.
“During this same period,” the lawsuit alleges that the Centners “socialized numerous times with Commissioner Díaz de la Portilla to gain his political support.”
“As a direct result of the performance of his duties on behalf of Defendants, Plaintiff was swept into a criminal investigation of the politicians to whom Defendants had made contributions,” the lawsuit alleges. “Not only was Plaintiff criminally charged based on his actions on behalf of Defendants, but the Centner Defendants allowed Plaintiff to ‘take the fall.’”
The lawsuit is the latest development in a yearslong saga that included the Centners agreeing to invest $10 million into building the sports dome on city-owned land.
“Ultimately, this was an unfortunate ordeal for everyone involved,” Guerrero said, “including the Centners, whose only intent was to donate $10 million to benefit the community.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 9:57 AM.
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