March 2004
LARRY was recognized by the The St. Petersburg Times as the
first to come forward and contact HUD and the FBI concerning the
fraud and waste of millions of dollars of HUD grants. Larry is credited
as being the unrelenting proponent and key figure in a years-long FBI/HUD investigation that led to a federal fraud indictment of City officials. The central issue of the case was the awarding of work without competitive bids. City officials and a non-profit Director were found guilty of over 40 counts of fraud, costing the taxpayers millions of dollars. Those officials remain in federal prison today.
June 2004
LARRY was recognized by The Tampa Tribune as being the citizen who pursued a formal complaint with the Florida Elections Commission.
Larry's complaint led to charges of 15 counts of violation of Election Law against an incumbent City Council member for the inappropriate use of a city employee and city resources in her re-election campaign. The councilwoman agreed to pay a $7,500 in fines for the violations.
March 2007
LARRY was recognized by The St. Petersburg Times as being the citizen who pursued a formal complaint with the Florida Elections Commission. Larry's complaint resulted in charges of 14 counts of violation of Election Law against a City Councilman for making false statements about campaign expenses and using his campaign funds for over $6,000 of wardrobe and personal items. The councilman
agreed to pay $9,500 in fines for the violations.