A former Miami Beach procurement director is facing charges in a bid-rigging scam, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Gustavo Lopez, 52, faces 27 counts of money laundering, 14 counts of unlawful compensation for official behavior, six counts of bribery, three counts of bid tampering and one count of official misconduct by a public servant and was being held on $780,000 bond Monday night, according to online Miami-Dade Corrections records.
His accomplice Pierre Landrin, 47, faces 26 counts of money laundering, 13 counts of unlawful compensation for official behavior, six counts of bribery and three counts of bid tampering, and was being held on $24,500 bond Monday night, corrections records said.
"These two old friends, these two men practiced greed and arrogance, and solicited illegal and ill-gotten monies," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a news conference.
She said the two funneled inside bidding information on city construction bids to contractors. Lopez would provide the privileged information to Lardin, who, acting as a consultant, would pass part of the fees to Lopez, according to the state attorney.
Landrin, however, was working with police, according to authorities.
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Lopez's wife, Maria Pinedra, faces one count of money laundering in the scam, according to the State Attorney's Office. It was not immediately known whether she, her husband or Landrin have attorneys.
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Lopez resigned in March amid possible misconduct surrounding the Miami Beach Convention Center district redevelopment deal, according to The Miami Herald. His arrest isn't related to that deal.
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His dealings with Miami Beach businessman Walter Garcia have also come into question after Garcia helped Lopez's wife get financing for a Mercedes-Benz, according to the Herald. Garcia hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing.
