November 30, 2004
LaBrake's larcenies lead to big house
It’s now official: Steve LaBrake is a slimeball. Ironically, having stolen funds meant for low income housing, Steve will now be forced to have his housing needs met by the state.
Former city housing chief Steven LaBrake and his wife, Lynne, were convicted by a federal jury of all charges of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud Tuesday afternoon.Posted by Norwood at November 30, 2004 11:50 PMAlso convicted of numerous corruption charges was Chet Luney, the former chief executive officer of the Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan. A fourth defendant, University of Florida Credit Union loan officer Lori Roberts Horne, was acquitted of the two charges she faced.
All told, Steven Labrake was convicted of 30 federal crimes, while his wife was found guilty of 28. Luney was convicted of 20 of the 21 charges he faced.
The prosecution maintained during the trial that LaBrake used his influence over millions of dollars in federal housing funds to personally benefit.
A fifth defendant, contractor Dean Ryan, pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges before the trial and testified for the prosecution. In exchange, the government agreed to recommend a prison term of about 18 months, or possibly less.
The wire fraud charge, the most serious of all the offenses the defendants were convicted of, carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The LaBrakes are to be sentenced in February.
