NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph was not at City Hall on Thursday after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be held in contempt of Congress.

Joseph’s colleagues are now responding with concern.

Calling his conduct “egregious,” members of the House Ethics Committee said he ignored requests and subpoenas to testify and produce documents as it followed a web of potentially illegal donations involving then-U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Florida.

Joseph chairs a political committee with Cherfilus-McCormick’s brother and is alleged to have funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars from an oil company executive doing business with the Haitian government.

The contempt report said Joseph refused to comply, despite extensions and accommodations, and did not offer justification for that failure.

Last spring, the interim results of an unrelated internal city investigation found Joseph’s actions put the city at “legal, financial and ethical risk,” documenting questionable spending and interfering with North Miami Beach employees.

North Miami Beach Commissioner Lynn Su called Joseph being held in contempt of Congress “deeply concerning.”

“Public officials have a responsibility to respect the legal process, cooperate with lawful oversight and uphold the public’s trust,” she said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Fortuna Smukler said that Joseph “needs to stop trying to ruin the reputation of people and that of the city, and he needs to look in the mirror.”

Joseph did not respond to our calls and texts but emailed saying the House Committee on Ethics report is inaccurate and he was not served the subpoena properly.

Meantime, the committee is referring to this contempt of Congress to the Department of Justice for possible criminal charges.

The contempt of Congress is separate from an internal city investigation the mayor is part of as well.

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