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August
15, 2007
Questions increase about Broward sheriff's business deals
Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne held private business meetings at the
Sheriff's Office and even traveled to Louisiana to test an
oil-cleaning invention in a commercial venture that failed,
according to a witness expected to testify today to the federal
grand jury investigating Jenne.
The witness, Ara Toroyan, 39, told federal investigators that
Jenne was paid $10,000 for his work on the deal, said Toroyan's
attorney, Leah Mayersohn.
The allegation raises questions about whether Jenne violated
state laws that prohibit public officials from using government
offices or equipment to do private work. But the bigger question
for federal prosecutors is why the income does not appear to be
listed on Jenne's financial disclosures, which he is required to
file as an elected official.
Toroyan is the former director of finance for Philip Procacci, a
South Florida developer who also leases office space to the
Sheriff's Office.
Mayersohn, who spoke on Toroyan's behalf, said her client did
not know who paid Jenne for his work on the deal but knew Jenne
got $10,000 for his work.
Sources familiar with the investigation, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, said Jenne got a $10,000 check for his work from a
company owned by a third party who was also involved in the
deal.
The new information also raises more questions about Jenne's
links to Philip Procacci. Procacci was a major investor in the
oil-cleaning business, according to Mayersohn and sources
familiar with the investigation.
Federal investigators have previously questioned witnesses about
a $20,000 loan Procacci made to one of Jenne's secretaries.
For more than two years, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement have been investigating
Jenne's public and private business dealings and his finances.
Several witnesses have been questioned about money, totaling
about $50,000 that Jenne reportedly received from the
oil-cleaning transaction, from his two secretaries, from
Procacci and from another man who did business with the agency.
Jenne's private defense attorney, Dave Bogenschutz, declined to
comment on the new allegations on Monday. Procacci's attorney,
Ed O'Donnell Jr. could not be reached for comment at his office
or on his cell phone on Monday.
Federal investigators already have questioned Procacci, who
testified to the grand jury earlier this year, about the $20,000
loan he gave to one of Jenne's secretaries, Marian Yoka, in
2004, according to attorneys for Procacci and Yoka.
Procacci's attorney, O'Donnell, said Procacci thought the money
was for Yoka, but Yoka told investigators she gave the money to
Jenne to pay his taxes. Jenne repaid Yoka, who repaid Procacci,
after investigators questioned the loan.
Procacci has had contracts with the Sheriff's Office since at
least 1999. In the past few years, the sheriff's office has paid
Procacci's firm more than $2 million to lease Plantation office
space.
According to Mayersohn, Toroyan told federal investigators last
month that Procacci hired him in April 2002 to research a
business deal in which Procacci had invested several hundred
thousand dollars. The deal concerned Procacci's investment in a
company called Supertech Products Inc., and a product that
company officials told Procacci would more efficiently remove
impurities from oil, Mayersohn said. Procacci, Jenne and Toroyan
flew together from Fort Lauderdale to Lafayette, La., for a
product testing trip from June 19 to 20, 2002, Mayersohn said.
Procacci, Jenne and Toroyan flew together from Fort Lauderdale
to Lafayette, La., for a product testing trip from June 19 to
20, 2002, Mayersohn said. But the test was unsuccessful and
Mayersohn said Jenne and Procacci left early, leaving Toroyan
behind to see if the test could be performed.
After the failed test, Procacci lost confidence in the product
and began to try to extract himself, Mayersohn said.
"My client said he [Jenne] did a tremendous amount of work [on
the private deal]," Mayersohn said. Toroyan told her he thought
Jenne was "underpaid" considering the amount of work he did.
Jenne was active in meetings about the deal, Mayersohn said, and
Toroyan told her the sheriff did consulting work, had a lot of
business contacts and "researched a lot of logistical stuff."
There were regular meetings about the deal, sometimes two or
three per week, Mayersohn said, and about two or three of those
were held at the Sheriff's Office. Mayersohn said Toroyan
attended the meetings with Jenne and Procacci. Those meetings
were held after hours, Mayersohn said, and she said her client
believed they were held there as a matter of convenience.
Toroyan worked for Procacci until October 2003 and said he left
the company on good terms because the deal he was hired to work
on had not worked out, Mayersohn said.
Federal investigators first questioned Toroyan on July 24,
Mayersohn said, and he was subpoenaed to testify today. Toroyan
told his attorney that investigators focused on the Supertech
deal and seemed most interested in the trip and money paid to
Jenne, Mayersohn said.
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