HIALEAH, Fla. – The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust has filed a formal complaint against Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez. The commission accuses Hernandez of making false statements to the public about income he earned from a private loan.
Investigators with the COE compared statements the mayor made at news conferences in October 2011 with testimony he gave during the federal tax evasion trial of former Mayor Julio Robaina last year.
According to the complaint, in 2011 the then-interim mayor denied allegations that he failed to report tens of thousands of dollars in interest on his source of income statements between 2007 and 2009 while he sat on the Hialeah council. He claimed he invested the money with convicted Ponzi schemer Luis Felipe Perez and never received those profits.
However, the mayor, under oath during the Robaina trial, allegedly testified that he did in fact receive monthly interest payments adding up to about $100,000 over the three-year period.
The COE said the mayor's conflicting accounts violate part of the Miami-Dade County charter about lying to the public.
"No county or municipal official … shall knowingly furnish false information on any public matter, nor knowingly omit significant facts when giving requested information to members of the public," a portion of the charter reads.
The case is set to go before the commission during a public hearing.
Hernandez's office released a statement Wednesday.
"The actions of the ethics commission resemble a Roman circus," Hernandez said. "They need to create controversy where none exist to justify their own existence and the misuse of $1.9 million of taxpayers' money used for their paychecks."
If the complaint is upheld at a public hearing, Hernandez could face a reprimand or fine of up to $1,000.
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