NATION IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Officials Suspended, Charged in Payoffs
- Share via
The mayor of the city of Hialeah, Fla., surrendered to the FBI to face charges that he conspired with a city councilman to extort payoffs from developers seeking zoning changes. Raul Martinez and the councilman, Andres Mejides, were to appear before a federal magistrate in Miami a day after a grand jury returned indictments against them and Gov. Bob Martinez suspended both men without pay. Raul Martinez, 41, is named in two racketeering and seven extortion-related counts, said Marcella Cohen, first assistant U.S. attorney. Mejides, 51, is named in two racketeering counts and four counts of obtaining property by extortion.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
