Michael Grieco’s fundraising falsehoods violated ethics rules, panel finds
Donors said he lied. Prosecutors said he lied. And on Monday, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics & Public Trust agreed.
In a unanimous vote, the commission found that state Rep. Michael Grieco, a Miami Beach Democrat, violated the Citizens’ Bill of Rights twice during his term as a Miami Beach commissioner by falsely portraying his involvement with the political action committee People for Better Leaders. The first falsehood was when he told the Miami Herald, “I do not have a political committee. I didn’t set one up. I haven’t solicited one,” and again when he told the Herald, “It is absolutely untrue . . . You can look right into my soul.”
A third count, alleging that Grieco indirectly solicited a contribution from a city vendor — contrary to a city ordinance — was dismissed.
Evidence and testimony elicited in a multi-day hearing — including sworn statements from donors and the chairman of the PAC — indicated that Grieco was actively involved in creating, operating, coordinating and funding the committee.
The penalty for public officials lying in Miami-Dade County is not onerous. The ethics commission fined him $0, with one panel member saying the finding was punishment enough.
The existence of the PAC — and Grieco’s involvement — was revealed by the Herald in a series of articles. Its donors included people who were vendors or lobbyists.
The third and final meeting of the ethics panel on Grieco saw the lawmaker testify for the first time publicly. He took several opportunities to assert that the committee belonged to his friend Brian Abraham, its titular chairman.
“I did not benefit one iota from that committee,” Grieco said. But the commissioners weren’t convinced.
Members of the ethics panel were skeptical that his sole involvement was to process the paperwork for his friend, and to make acquaintances who were looking for a good cause aware of the fund’s existence without actually asking them to contribute. Abraham, a longtime friend of Grieco, is the scion of an influential Coral Gables family. He once managed the King of Diamonds strip club along Interstate 95.
Ethics commission members noted that Abraham had shown little interest in such civic endeavors before or since. Abraham himself testified that he solicited only one donation, for $250, and that he assumed Grieco had solicited the rest.
“It is implausible that someone would essentially navigate $200,000 dollars to a committee without some sense that that was going to redound to their benefit,” Commissioner Charlton Copeland said of Grieco’s denials.
Commissioners pointed to a series of emails sent by Grieco to Norwegian businessman Petter Smedvig Hagland in March 2016 in which he asked, with increasing urgency, for Hagland to make a sizable donation.
In one, Grieco, who was eyeing a run for mayor of Miami Beach at the time, requested Hagland support his “endeavors to seek higher office.” In another, Grieco referred to helping fill his “mayoral coffers.” A follow-up email was more succinct: “$25k.” That was exactly what Hagland kicked in to the campaign, although the money was funneled through a local man, possibly to disguise that its source was a foreign national.
Hagland testified last week about the messages, which came from Grieco’s email address.
On Monday, Grieco said he had no recollection of writing or sending them.
“Not only do I not recollect, but it doesn’t even sound like my words,” Greico said. He said he even asked his wife, who agreed it didn’t sound like something he would say.
The $25,000 from Hagland, who does business in South Florida, was the largest single contribution to the PAC.
“I was concerned that you just didn’t take ownership of those emails,” said Nelson Bellido, chairman of the commission, speaking directly to Grieco, who was represented by prominent lawyer Benedict Kuehne.
“It questioned, to me, his integrity as to other statements that he made,” Bellido added, referring to Grieco.
Though the commission, an independent body that enforces the Miami-Dade Citizens’ Bill of Rights and imposes civil penalties on county and municipal elected officials and employees, decided not to fine Grieco for either violation, it said he would be responsible for paying attorney fees and “court costs” and would be issued a “letter of instruction,” sort of an official admonishment.
Previously Grieco pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge, accepting a campaign donation in the name of another, in connection with his role in the PAC and was given 12 months probation, which was shortened to six months for good behavior.
.jpeg "petter hagland 1 (2).jpeg")
At the time Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said: “It is sad to see a young public servant tumble but there are no special exceptions to Florida’s elections laws. Masking the source of a campaign donation is not only illegal but denigrates the importance of transparency. Our citizens deserve better from all of those who seek public office.”
As part of that deal, Grieco resigned his position on the Miami Beach Commission and agreed not to run for office until the probation had ended. Immediately upon its completion, he ran for the Florida legislator in a district drawn favorably for Democrats and won the seat. He recently won a second term unopposed.
The dollar amount of attorney fees, the commission said, could be decided at the ethics commission’s next meeting.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 8:54 PM.
