FORMER MIRAMAR COMMISSIONER FITZROY SALESMAN SENTENCED
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, announced that Fitzroy Salesman, 53, of Miramar, Florida was sentenced this morning to 51 months’ imprisonment by the Honorable James I. Cohn. Salesman was convicted on April 6, 2010, after trial, of two counts of bribery and two counts of extortion under color of official right. The jury acquitted him of two counts of honest services mail and wire fraud.
The charges were the result of an FBI undercover investigation. According to the evidence presented at trial, the undercover FBI agents posed as "quasi" lobbyists, seeking to obtain construction contracts with local government entities for two undercover FBI agents who were posing as construction contractors. In July 2007, Salesman accepted a total of $3,340 to steer construction contracts with the City of Miramar to the undercover FBI agents. Salesman actually obtained two contracts – the construction of a gazebo and the renovation of a gym floor – for the undercover FBI agents. Among the evidence presented to the jury during the trial was a videotape of Salesman accepting $3,000 in cash from the undercover agents.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Today’s sentence confirms that public officials who use their office for personal gain will be held accountable.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies added, “For citizens to have confidence in their government, they must be certain that their elected officials will not use their position for personal gain. Fitzroy Salesman violated this rule. The South Florida community can be assured that public corruption will remain a top priority for the FBI.”
U.S. Attorney Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service in connection with the investigation of this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey N. Kaplan and Neil Karadbil.
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A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
