Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 9-2-16 Online Edition

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Hillsborough Commissioners Seek Applications For Citizen Boards And Councils
Pleads Guilty To Helping Hide Drug Money
A 66-year-old Tampa at- torney entered a guilty plea to the crime of structuring fi- nancial transactions. He is facing a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
According to the plea agreement, Attorney Joe Manuel Gonzalez, an at- torney with his own law prac- tice in Tampa specializing in financial and tax matters, es- tablished a fictitious trust and bank account for a confi- dential source and under- cover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administra- tion.
The confidential source and the undercover agent posed as brothers seeking to launder drug proceeds from their marijuana grow house operations. The “brothers” told Attorney Gonzalez that they made approxi- mately $30,000 to $50,000 per month from their mari- juana operation and needed somewhere safe to put their money.
Attorney Gonzalez ad- vised the “brothers” how to set up and make deposits into bank accounts to avoid detection by law enforce- ment. Attorney Gonzalez established a bank account for the “brothers” in the name of a fictitious trust and made the initial deposits into the bank account with what Attorney Gonzalez thought was proceeds from the marijuana business, offi- cials said.
On two occasions, Attor- ney Gonzalez structured the cash provided to him by the undercover agent, break- ing up the bank deposit into separate transactions under $10,000 to avoid the cur- rency reporting require- ments and to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Attorney Gonzalez has practiced law in Tampa for more than 30 years. He be- came one of the founding members of Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. He was also chosen as a charter member of the City of Tampa Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council, established by former Mayor Bob Martinez in
ATTORNEY JOE MANUEL GONZALEZ
1983.
In May of this year, At-
torney Gonzalez was pre- sented the Matilda Garcia Leadership Award by the City of Tampa. The presentation took place during the 18th An- nual Latinos Unidos Lunch- eon.
A sentencing date for At- torney Gonzalez has not been determined.
Applications due Sept. 15, 2016
Hillsborough County Com- missioners are seeking resi- dents to serve on several County citizen advisory boards and councils. Residents inter- ested in seeking appointment must reside in and be regis- tered voters in Hillsborough County.
These are voluntary posi- tions, and members serve with- out compensation. Applicants may apply to more than one board, but may only serve on one board at a time unless specifically approved by the BOCC.
All applicants must submit a completed Questionnaire for County Appointments and a Standards of Conduct Form. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Other re- quirements are in the informa- tion that follows.
The deadline to apply is Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. Appointments will be sched- uled for a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners in October or November 2016.
The forms are available in
the Commissioners’ reception area on the second floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa; by calling the Boards and Councils Coordinator at (813) 272-5826; or on the County’s website at: HillsboroughCounty.org. Click on the “Government” link on the top of the page, then the “Boards and Committees” sub- link. The Application Ques- tionnaire for County Appointments is in the middle of the page, along with the Standards of Conduct Form.
These forms can be filled out and printed, and then scanned and emailed, faxed, hand-delivered, or mailed. All forms must be signed and dated and be completed in entirety to be eligible.
Both forms must be sub- mitted in order for the applica- tion package to be complete. Additional directions for sub- mission are listed on the ques- tionnaire.
If you apply to a board that requires a background check, you must also submit a Back- ground Investigation Disclo- sure and Authorization Form, which is also on the webpage.
PORT TAMPA BAY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is given of a public hearing to be held at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, September 28, 2016 before the Tampa Port Authority, d/b/a Port Tampa Bay at its offices located at 1101 Channelside Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602, to hear public comments regarding the following:
Standard Work Permit Application #15-009
Submitted by CCP Harbour Island, LLC for Construction of a Commercial Dock Complex Associated with the Existing Upland Hotel,
Restaurant, and Retail Shops at
601 S. Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa, Florida
The permit application is on file and available for inspection at PTB offices from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays). Additional information is available online at www.tampaport.com. All written comments and objections directed toward the foregoing matter should be filed with Port Tampa Bay, Environmental Department, at 1101 Channelside Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602 by 12:00 noon on September 27, 2016. Oral comments and objections may be presented at the hearing.
In accordance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 286.26, Florida Statutes, persons with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodation to participate in this hearing should call (813) 905-5031 or telecopy (813) 905-5029, at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL ANY DECISION OF THE PORT TAMPA BAY WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT THIS PUBLIC HEARING WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND, FOR SUCH A PURPOSE, MAY NEED TO HIRE A COURT REPORTER TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A