JUST IN: Republican Commissioner Has Assets SEIZED By Federal Authorities

A Republican city commissioner from Florida reportedly had his assets seized by Federal authorities on Tuesday.

Joe Carollo, the Miami Commissioner, was sued by the owners of the Ball and Chain restaurant, located in the Little Havana neighborhood, in 2022.

The plaintiffs alleged that Carollo used the city’s law enforcement and heavy-handed local statutes and codes to shut down their businesses due to their support for Carollo’s political opponent.

In 2023, a jury found Carollo guilty of the allegations and awarded the two business owners $63.5 million in damages.

At first, the damages would have been sensibly garnished through Carollo’s wages in an installment-like fashion, but Carollo was openly hostile to the idea and categorically denied the garnishment of his wages.

In response to this, a federal court ordered the seizure of Carollo’s assets to pay the judgment against him. Local sources presented the corresponding documentation and explained:

#BREAKING: Federal Court directs U.S. Marshal to seize cash, goods and land from Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo to enforce $63.5 million civil corruption judgement for weaponizing city government to violate the Constitutional rights of Little Havana business owners #BecauseMiami pic.twitter.com/DkiHKDxiGL

— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) January 10, 2024

Speaking of my City commissioner, I let curiosity get the better of me instead of heading to bed & took a look at the Q4 report for Miami First, an ECO listed on MD-ED 28 forms for Joe Carollo & Francis Suarez. HOLY S🤬T! $65K from Mastec ALONE! The whole thing is horrible! https://t.co/sf2GK7dOTC pic.twitter.com/oTEp4tPv2X

— Dani Rivera (@MiamiSeda) January 10, 2024

Miami Herald reports:

Business owners Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla beat Carollo in federal court by proving he deployed city officials from the building, legal, code enforcement, fire and police departments in a harassment campaign to shut down their popular Ball & Chain club, and unplug the green neon sign that’s been a beacon of Little Havana’s renaissance.

NBC Miami had more on the judgement against the Republican commissioner and provided this response from him regarding the wage garnishment:

“I think this is another ploy by these characters,” Carollo said.

“We gave them five, six months ago all the information they need that I’m a head of a household, I maintain my family.

By law, they cannot take a penny from my salaries or wages.

That’s the law that a first year law student knows, but they’re going forward anyway.”