ATTORNEY FOR FORMER CHAIRMAN OF PALM BEACH COUNTY COMMISSION PLEADS GUILTY TO CONCEALING CORRUPTION

 

July 19, 2007

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office (“FBI”), and Michael Yasofsky, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (“IRS”), announced that defendant, William R. Boose, III, 62, of North Palm Beach, Florida, has pled guilty in Case No. 07-80107-Cr-Hurley to his involvement in a public corruption conspiracy stemming from Anthony R. Masilotti’s unlawful use of his official position as an elected county commissioner to promote and conceal Masilotti’s honest services fraud. Boose pled guilty to a single count of misprision of a felony in which he admitted knowing of Masilotti’s corrupt scheme and then participating in taking steps to conceal Masilotti’s scheme from federal law enforcement, and actually lying to federal law enforcement agents when questioned about it. As a result of the conviction, Boose faces a maximum period of three (3) years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. As detailed below, he also agreed to forfeit $400,000 to the United States.

In United States District Court, Boose admitted aiding Masilotti’s secret participation in a Martin County land deal, known as Nine Gems, which involved the sale of a tract of land to the South Florida Water Management District (“SFWMD”), a state agency whose mission is to help protect and manage the region’s water supply. In this transaction, Masilotti previously admitted that he misused his official position to advocate and publicly endorse the SFWMD’s purchase of the Nine Gems parcel without disclosing his ownership interest in the property to Martin County officials, the SFWMD, the BCC or the public. To hide his ownership interest in the Nine Gems property, Masilotti utilized attorney William R. Boose, III to create a secret land trust to purchase the property. After a complicated series of transactions, during which the SFWMD was deceived as to the true sellers of the property, Masilotti profited $1.7 million from the Nine Gems sale to the SFWMD. Boose admitted knowing of the secret scheme and then taking steps to conceal the crime from federal law enforcement. As part of his agreement with federal prosecutors, Boose agreed to forfeit $400,000 to the federal government for his role in the honest services crime. Sentencing was scheduled for November 2, 2007at 1:30 p.m. in West Palm Beach before U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp.

Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the IRS and FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Kastrenakes, Stephen Carlton, and Antonia Barnes.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.