A special election will be held in August to replace suspended City of North Miami Mayor Lucie Tondreau, officials said Wednesday.
Acting Mayor Philippe Bien-Amie said the special election has been scheduled for late August to replace Tondreau, who was suspended Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott.
County election officials said they haven't been contacted by city officials yet.
Tondreau surrendered to the FBI Tuesday to face charges in what prosecutors say was a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme.
"Our prayers go to her and her family in such a difficult time," Bien-Amie said at a news conference Wednesday, adding he was "shocked and saddened" by the indictment.
Bien-Amie said the city would continue all day-to-day operations
Tondreau and three others would face wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges. The indictment alleges that Tondreau worked with Karl Oreste, 56, O.J. Odunna, 49, and Kelly Augustin, 57, in a conspiracy to recruit and use false information to obtain loans on 20 properties between December 2005 and May 2008, during the housing bubble. Lenders suffered losses of approximately $8 million, prosecutors said.
Tondreau called the allegation "a lie" and vowed to fight it with her lawyers. She will be arraigned in federal court on May 30 at 10 a.m.
