Renzo Downey
Officers arrested Lynn Haven Mayor Margo Anderson and City Attorney Joseph Albritton on corruption and fraud charges Wednesday morning.
The 64 federal indictments presented Tuesday are the latest allegations of misuse of public office to roil the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.
“This indictment serves as a powerful message to all public officials and any other citizens who serves in a position of trust,” said Larry Keefe, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The case is the follow-up to arrests in November involving five individuals, including Lynn Haven officials. The three pleaded guilty on charges related to $5 million in fraudulent invoices for hurricane recovery.
After Hurricane Michael’s landfall as a Category 5 storm in October 2018, Lynn Haven issued a state of emergency and allowed Anderson to bypass normal procedures to engage in contracts on behalf of the city for a timely response. After the emergency order lapsed two weeks later, the city entered an emergency agreement for hurricane cleanup services.
Panama City-based Erosion Control Specialists performed $48,000 in unauthorized services at Anderson’s, her mother’s and a neighbor’s private residences, according to the indictment. They performed another $25,000 in unauthorized services at the residences of Albritton and his girlfriend.
David White, Erosion Control Specialists’ owner, was indicted in the November case.
Albritton is accused of filing a fraudulent claim with St. John’s Insurance Company over hurricane damage. A false invoice from Erosion Control Specialists listed $9,600 in services on the property.
The indictments also accuse Anderson and Albritton of receiving kickbacks or bribes for projects they approved.
After the city’s emergency declaration expired, instead of using the city’s waste trucks, Albritton and then-City Manager Michael White — who is not related to David White and was also charged in the November case — hired Erosion Control Specialists for trash pickup. That purportedly cost the city an additional $1.8 million.
And instead of using a planned disposal site, Anderson had the City Manager sign for an unnamed private company, costing the city millions of dollars more.
Anderson had helped that company win multimillion dollar contracts with the city as far back as 2015, the indictment claims.
The Northern District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office‘s Public Trust Unit, launched a year ago, worked the case alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our Public Trust unit, working alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners are committed to investigation and prosecuting anyone who illegally abuses a position of trust for personal gain,” Keefe said. “The integrity of those who run our government is essential to our democracy.”
Both officials face up to 20 years in prison for fraud and 10 years for theft of federal funds if convicted. Anderson could also face five years for making false statements to federal agents. And Albritton could face an additional 20 years for making the false invoice.
Both made their first court appearances in Tallahassee Wednesday.
“This case is an example of what happens when public servants become complicit in corrupt behavior rather than standing up to it,” said Rachel Rojas, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “Anyone who puts personal greed above their responsibility to protect the public should be held accountable, and that is why rooting out corrupt public officials remains the FBI’s number one criminal investigative priority.”
One comment
Bruce Hebert
August 20, 2020 at 11:19 am
It appears this latest round of arrests and indictments are just the 2nd wave of what will be more to come. The level of insider dealing and “good ole boy” local politics goes way deeper than the Lynn Haven mayor and city attorney. More dominoes to fall, as the ones named begin negotiating deals with the feds.
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