Blogger and liberal activist Chaz Stevens was among the many individuals upset to learn that State Senator Maria Sachs may not indeed live in the district she was elected to represent, which would be a violation of the constitutional requirements of her office.
On Friday, Stevens filed a complaint with the Florida Bar and a criminal complaint with the Broward County State Attorney’s office, alleging that Sachs falsified public documents and committed perjury in official proceedings.
When Sachs signed an oath to take office, she swore under penalty of perjury that she was “duly qualified to serve in the office I am seeking” — qualifications which include being an elector and resident of the district from which elected, according to Article II, Section 15(c) of the Florida Constitution.
Yet on June 26, video footage taken by a private investigator and a news report by Bob Norman with Channel 10 news in Miami suggested that Sachs continues to live in her $1.5 million Boca Raton estate while claiming residence at a 740 square foot condo in her Ft. Lauderdale district.
Other investigations on Sachs’ residency have been ongoing by Media Trackers Florida, who were told by a resident in a neighboring apartment that Sachs’ apartment had been vacant for at least six months; and the unit became the focus of a Senate confirmation hearing during the 2013 session when Sachs’ landlord’s daughter Barbara Stern was nominated to serve on the Florida Elections Commission.
Below is the text of Stevens’ criminal complaint:
Friday, July 5, 2013
Broward State Attorney Office
201 Southeast 6th Street Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 Attention: Timothy Donnelly, Assistant State Attorney
Public Corruption Unit
RE: Criminal Complaint Against State Senator Maria Sachs
Hey Mr. Donnelly;
We’re expanding our venue to include scumbag politicians at the state level – aka Maria Sachs.
As it’s been reported, the Florida Constitution explicitly requires that “[e]ach legislator shall be . . . a[] resident of the district from which elected,” and Section 104.011 of the Florida Statutes makes it a third-degree felony to “swear[] or affirm[] falsely to any oath or affirmation … in connection with or arising out of voting or elections.”
And guess who lied?
If you went with Sylvia Poitier Steve Gonot Jon Allen State Senator Maria Sachs, you’d be correct!
In support of my allegation, check this shit out:
1. Well, let’s skip over the three ethics complaints filed against Sachs.
2. And we’ll ignore the just-filed Bar complaint.
3. The Florida Commission on Ethics said there was reason to believe Sachs had lied on her financial disclosure forms, withholding some of her income as well as ownership of a Tallahassee condo.
4. And Local 10 News is reporting Sachs lives outside her district.
As you well know, swearing falsely on an elections-related oath [such as place of residency] is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000.
Bingo!
Happy hunting;
Timothy “Chaz” Stevens
And here is the text of his Bar complaint:
I hereby file a grievance alleging attorney Maria Sachs violated Florida Bar Rule 4-8.4(c). The rule, which governs professional conduct, states a lawyer shall not “engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, except that it shall not be professional misconduct for a lawyer for a criminal law enforcement agency or regulatory agency to advise others about or to supervise another in an undercover investigation, unless prohibited by law or rule, and it shall not be professional misconduct for a lawyer employed in a capacity other than as a lawyer by a criminal law enforcement agency or regulatory agency to participate in an undercover investigation, unless prohibited by law or rule.” – See more at: http://www.myactsofsedition.com/2013/07/04/filed-bar-complaint-against-maria-sachs/#sthash.vOSIT16t.dpuf
