DEVELOPING STORY: The land-use attorney and lobbyist arrested Thursday on money laundering, criminal conspiracy and political corruption charges also has business ties with Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago.
William “Bill” Riley Jr. is one of the four real estate agents registered along with Lago at the brokerage owned by former Hialeah Councilman Oscar de la Rosa, who is the stepson of Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo. Bovo is another real estate agent with the firm. So is Lago’s chief of staff, Chelsea Granell. The brokerage received a $640,000 commission from the sale of a Ponce de Leon Boulevard building to Location Ventures, the same development firm that is being investigated for its payments to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez as a “consultant.”
Reily was arrested Thursday and charged with Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who allegedly helped Lago in his 2021 campaign against Pat Keon and celebrate with him at the victory party. They were charged with bribery and political corruption charges stemming from a May 2022 vote by the Miami Commission to let a private school build a recreational facility on a public park.
Riley, who lobbied for The Centner Academy, was also the fundraising captain for the judicial campaign for Renier Diaz de la Portilla, the Miami commissioner’s baby brother.
Alex Diaz de la Portilla, Vince Lago and Oscar de la Rosa at Lago’s victory party in 2021.
During the investigation, agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found evidence indicating Diaz de la Portilla and Riley accepted more than $15,000 in payments for Baby DLP’s ugly and failed judicial campaign, but did not report them, as required by state law. Riley also controlled a bank account in the name of a Delaware-based corporation that the FDLE says laundered approximately $245,000 in concealed political contributions made by a management services company in exchange for permission to build a “sports complex” in the city of Miami. It turns out to be a recreational complex for The Centner Academy.
Lago, who did not return a phone call and text message Thursday, endorsed Renier Diaz de la Portilla in that judicial race. At the time, nobody could figure out why.
More details will be added as the story is reported.
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