[July 01, 2011] Nephew of North Miami mayor facing bribery charges assures he can deliver votes Tweet Jun 14, 2011 (The Miami Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The nephew of North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre strolled confidently into the office of a local businessman and offered assurances that he could control how the council votes. As proof, Pierre's nephew, Ricardo Brutus, points to an agenda item that he says he asked to have pulled the night before. In an undercover video released Monday, Brutus is shown meeting with North Miami businessman Shlomo Chelminsky, who supported privatizing North Miami's waste services -- the item that was pulled from the agenda. Chelminsky, whose family owns multiple apartment buildings and stood to benefit from any privatization efforts, cooperated with law enforcement to catch Brutus on tape. Brutus, 31, Pierre's re-election campaign manager, was arrested in March on charges of unlawful compensation, after the tape clearly shows him accepting a white envelope stuffed with bills from Chelminsky. Brutus, who is animated and smiling in much of the videotape, assures Chelminsky he knows how to get to council members when he wants something: either with money or his familial bond with Pierre. "Everybody always wants something, but, Andre, that's always my vote,'' Brutus said. "I may not have the other four at times for whatever reason, but I can always get them," he said. On tape, Chelminsky is seen counting out cash and stuffing it into the envelope before handing it to Brutus. Moments later, Chelminsky counts out $500 and hands that to Brutus, saying it was for him personally, "because you help me out a lot.'' Brutus describes members of the City Council as "money hungry" and said he would use the stack of bills handed to him to "take care of everybody that I called." Chelminsky asked if Brutus was only referring to Pierre and Councilwoman Marie Steril. "No," Brutus responded. Chelminsky asked if there were more people. "Yeah,'' Brutus replied. Brutus goes on to say that Pierre never accepts money from him, but that the mayor is aware of "those taking money on the side." Marshall Louis, Brutus's attorney, said Chelminsky used his client. "The video is a product of a master manipulator Chelminsky, who was trying to save his hide," Louis said. "No money was ever paid to any council member or anyone. He was essentially goading Mr. Brutus to say things that are not accurate." Pierre did not respond to calls for comment. In the videotape, Brutus described how he was able to call Steril and ask her to do him a favor by stalling the waste-hauling item on the agenda. Brutus said he told Steril, "I need you to move it off or do a motion or something," Chelminsky asks if some of the cash will go to Steril. Brutus responds, "I gotta take care of everybody that I called." Steril strongly denied Brutus' claims and said she was knew the mayor's nephew only in passing. "I never had a conversation with him, nor have I ever taken any money from him," Steril said Monday. Brutus also told Chelminsky he purchased vacation tickets for Councilman Jean Marcellus. Marcellus said Monday that Brutus did purchase a plane ticket for him to go to Haiti, but not for his vote. He said he and Brutus were not friends. "Do you believe he could secure a vote from me for a plane ticket to Haiti?'' Marcellus asked. "No.'' Louis, Brutus' attorney, filed a motion to suppress release of the tape shortly before North Miami's May elections, where Pierre was narrowly re-elected to a second term. The tape was released Monday to the Miami Herald. Councilman Scott Galvin is also mentioned in the recording. Chelminsky complains to Brutus that the councilman had "turned on" him regarding the waste issue after the businessman had donated to Galvin's campaign. Galvin said Monday he did accept donations from Chelminsky at the behest of Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and said any interactions he had with the businessman was part of his cooperation with investigators. "Under law enforcement instructions I had certain conversations with Chelminsky and accepted campaign contributions from him as well. As this is under investigation I'm not allowed to comment any further," Galvin said. Chelminsky is listed as a "cooperating defendant" on Brutus' arrest document, but does not have any charges filed against him, according to FDLE and court records. To see more of The Miami Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Miami Herald Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]