Carlos Gimenez, Rebeca Sosa and David Rivera Shower Favors On Ex-Cocaine Trafficker (Updated)

By Francisco Alvarado Mon., Oct. 15 2012 at 8:30 AM

Banah International Group

Alexander Perez, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, and County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa celebrate Banah's street renaming.

MORE TROUBLES FOR PEREZ

On July 13, the day Hialeah and county leaders celebrated the christening of "Banah Sweet Way," Perez's headquarters played a big role in solidifying Gimenez's reelection. According to El Nuevo Herald, Banah's executive offices was the site where Hernandez let the county mayor know the Hialeah political machine was behind him.

"It was a positive dialogue," Hernandez told the newspaper. "We talked about working together for our communities and I gave him my word that I would support him."

Later that afternoon, during a press conference inside Banah's HQ, Perez thanked the elected officials for recognizing his fledgling company. "We want Banah to be the Coca-Cola of sugar," Perez boasted in Spanish. "Our headquarters will always be in Hialeah. I assure you, Banah's success is guaranteed."

Not exactly.

Perez was initially planning to develop Banah at 405,000-square-foot warehouse in Doral located near Miami International Airport and inside a free trade zone. He signed a lease with CV Miami in August 2011, agreeing to pay $6,666 a month in rent. According to Ferro, the Hialeah location, which is 100,00 square feet smaller, was more suitable for the company's planned growth and wanted to create jobs in a city where it is desperately needed.

However, CV Miami sued Perez on May 29, claiming he bailed on his Doral lease. CV Miami alleges Banah owed $139,000 in unpaid rent plus late fees for February, March and April of this year. Both companies recently settled out of court. But Banah is still dealing with four pending lawsuits that were filed after the company got its street renaming and tax breaks, including Gonzalez's complaint.

In addition:

All-American Containers, a Miami company that supplied Banah with plastic containers and tops for its sugar products, sued Perez and his firm on June 6, alleging the coke felon owes $183,478 for unpaid merchandise.
In July, New York-based Sterling National Bank sued Perez and Banah because the financial institution claims it provided funding capital for payroll that he hasn't paid back. The bank's pending lawsuit alleges Perez owes $327,623.
In August, a company called Pro Label Inc. sued Banah International Group. However, employees at the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts file room could not locate the case file when I requested it on Oct. 10. This lawsuit is also pending.

Ferro declined comment on the ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, Gimenez's spokeswoman says the lawsuits won't change anything. "The issue is moot," Trutie says, "since the incentives were already approved."

Unless the county commission moves to reconsider its vote, which has happened before when the Beacon Council recommended incentives for a company tied to an individual with a criminal record. In February, county commissioners rescinded a $3 million grant given to the family of shopping center developer Yoram Izhak.

The funds were supposed to help pay for the renovation of Northside Shopping Center at NW 79th Street and 27th Avenue. But commissioners were unaware Izhak had been convicted for tax evasion and attempting to board an airplane with a loaded gun until Banana Republican reported about it. Commissioner Dennis Moss convinced his colleagues to pull their support for the Northside funds.

See also:
- Miami-Dade Nixes $3 Million Grant To Tax Evader After New Times Report

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.

Tags:

Alexander I. Perez, Banah International Group, Banah Sugar, Carlos Gimenez, David Rivera, Rebeca Sosa

We Recommend

bobjefferson

This proves the fact that the Herald is a rag being used by Democrats! Why doesn't the Herald investigate or report on the fact that Joe Garcia while working for the US Dept. of Energy under the Obama Administration gave $2 billion in taxpayer money to China to build solar pannels? Why doesn't the Herald report on the fact that Joe Garcia was lobbied by energy companies to raise our electric bills whille he was Chairman of the Public Service Commission? He did raise Floridians electric bills and when he left the Public Service Commission he got a cushy job as a political hack! Joe Garcia is the most corrupt politician in Miami-Dade County and has no business being a Representative of District 26! David Rivera was given a 100% voting record in favor of job creation. That's all I need to know, he's got my vote and my support.

JesusLovesMe

Jesus fucking Christ. Beacon council can't run a simple Miami Dade criminal background check? I wonder how much money the folks at The top of the beacon council take from taxpayers.

David

A primary rule of Business ownership: The business is an entity on its own. What does the man behind it have to do with how it will be run? How many lawsuits are pending for small business around the country who are still trying to get their basic structures firmly planted? Banah has promised a lot of things, but not a single one of those promises have been broken. The article is designed to smear the reputation of a man with a questionable past, by means of discriminatory language no less. What REAL wrong has been done here? Your links aren't functional, your language is derogatory, and all your really doing is provoking the easily influenced american public into believing that people cant possibly try to make something of themselves once they've made a mistake . As a well educated hispanic of cuban descent, id like to say that people like you, "tellyounow", are what has ruined this city. Better yet this society. What exactly do you do that contributes so much to the fabric of the culture we live in? Don't sit there and compare cubans to some sort of plague when your running around screaming your dimwitted idealisms out onto the internet with probably no real understanding of what it means to be living here as an immigrant.

There is no cooperative effort among congress and business owners to help each other excell just because of their heritage. Jesus, the man only gave $500 to the re-election campaign. Thats close to nothing. The people in county government don't do as thorough a job as they should have, and thats obvious, but that has nothing to do with where they came from. It also has nothing to do with them being taught to be thieves or hustlers in their home country. It has to do with the idiots that decided to bring them into power. The same idiots that are commenting on this article. Do me a favor, globalize your perspectives before talking. This country was built on people like the ones mentioned in this article. People who are proactively trying to make the most out of the country they live in. Not people like you.

tellyounow

these people are CUBANS not " liberals" cubans here are known to be the best at what they do rob , scam , and fraud they learn it where they were born at CUBA ! ingrates they come to this country as refugees get free medicare , free school money , free food stamps and then they rob peoples taxes this is not about republicans and democrats its about CUBANS being THIEFS get them out of this city ! they have ruined it all !