A federal court directed a U.S. Marshal to seize the assets of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo in order to enforce the more than $63 million judgment against him from last year.
In a writ of execution filed Tuesday, the United States District Court ordered the marshal of the Southern District of Florida to seize Carollo's cash, goods and land.
Carollo sent out a lengthy statement on Wednesday, vowing that he would appeal and that the law can't take his house. The statement was written in Spanish and translated by NBC6.
"If blood is what they want from me, I will gladly give them both my arms so they can choose the one they prefer and draw my blood," Carollo said. "But if you prefer to put me in front of a firing squad, let me know which wall in Miami you want to execute it on."
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Back in November, a federal court ordered the city of Miami to garnish the commissioner's wages.
Carollo was found liable in June in a federal civil lawsuit brought by two businessmen who accused him of trying to destroy their businesses as political retaliation.
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The jury found Carollo violated the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights and awarded them more than $63 million.
Bill Fuller, the owner of the Ball and Chain restaurant and club in Little Havana, and fellow businessman Martin Pinilla claimed Carollo weaponized the city’s police and code enforcement departments to shut down several of their businesses in Little Havana because they supported his political opponent.
"We are going to go after Joe Carollo's personal assets, including his cars, boats, his homes, his properties, commercial properties, and any personal property inside his home," said attorney Jeff Gutchess, who represents Fuller and Pinilla.
Carollo spoke out to NBC6 after the court ordered the city to garnish his wages.
"I think this is another ploy by these characters," Carollo said. "We gave them five, six months ago all the information they need that I'm a head of a household, I maintain my family. By law, they cannot take a penny from my salaries or wages. That's the law that a first-year law student knows, but they're going forward anyway."
Below is Commissioner Joe Carollo's full statement, sent out on Wednesday evening. It was written in Spanish and translated by NBC6:
If blood is what they want from me, I will gladly give them both my arms so they can choose the one they prefer and draw my blood.
But if you prefer to put me in front of a firing squad, let me know which wall in Miami you want to execute it on.
I have been held hostage for the last seven months, waiting for the court to rule on several petitions that, by federal law, we must file before we can appeal.
Once the court gives an answer, we can appeal.
An appeal that the plaintiffs know very well that we are going to win due to all the irregularities that occurred during the trial with a jury from Broward County, not Miami.
As for my house, the plaintiffs know very well that this is my “homestead,” and they know very well that the law does not allow the confiscation of the primary residence, just as the law does not allow a person who is the head of the family, like me, to have part of their salary taken away. Six months ago, we gave all the information so that there was no doubt that I am the head of the family.
What they would have to take from me would be some furniture, which was mine before my marriage, and my old clothes, not brand name and used, such as shirts, pants, socks and underpants.
I do not regret being an honest elected official, that this has happened to me for defending our residents from the abuse of these gentlemen. The best thing that God did was one day after another, and I know that my God is going to protect me from all this.
