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Marco News Briefs: Oct. 2
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MARCO ISLAND — Boat ramp to expand
Collier County has approved an expansion to the SR-951 boat ramp near Isles of Capri. The county has given the nod to move forward on expanding the parking lot from 19 spaces to 85 spaces to allow more community use of the two existing boat ramps. The project is in the bidding process and construction is scheduled to be complete by fall 2009.
Mortgage fraud indictment
A mortgage fraud scheme totaling $2.4 million for three residential Marco Island properties led to a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury charging Vaughn Addison with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and substantive wire fraud, according to a prepared release by R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the indictment, Addison used his position as an employee of WMC Mortgage and Countrywide Home Loans, two separate lenders, to facilitate the approval of fraudulent mortgage loans. The mortgage broker paid Addison $18,000 for his assistance as a lender insider in obtaining approval for the three fraudulent loans. The straw buyers failed to make payments as part of the scheme, causing each of the Marco Island properties to go into foreclosure and the lending institutions to lose nearly $1 million. If convicted Addison faces up to 20 years imprisonment.
Officer’s arraignment pushed back
Marco Island Police Officer Stephen Mariani, 49 was charged with battery June 17 for an incident that occurred in February, and the arraignment is now pushed back to March 26, more than a year after the original incident.
Mariani helped break up a drunken brawl outside Off the Hook Comedy Club in February. He was charged with battery June 17, after he reportedly struck two of the men he arrested and used pepper spray on them, while they were handcuffed in the back of his squad car.
Two days before his pretrial hearing, a deferred prosecution agreement was reached and Mariani’s next arraignment for the misdemeanor is rescheduled for 8:15 a.m., March 26.
Mariani was suspended for 10 days without pay and is now back in the department with full police powers.
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All----Right, Great!!!
Hopefully, what this is telling me is that there is a problem with the basis for the charge? In other words, to many gaps in the procedural deficientcies and the actions of the officer? Absent information that initiated this action, I would say the case is a weak pile of doo-doo!!, and to put this off until March 09, is a very good sign for this fine officer!!
Good Luck Officer
#1 Posted by August8 on October 2, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Smell the coffee, the city is trying to settle a civil suite. The city is paying the victim to go away. No victim then no crime.
#2 Posted by JohninMarco on October 3, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok,
What facts do you have that this is the case, what is the status of their criminal charge? Before I smell any coffee, let me make sure your not full of doo-doo!
If your going to throw these things out there, back-em up Johnny boy
#3 Posted by August8 on October 5, 2008 at 7:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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