Carey-Shuler

Spence-Jones

Last week, it was reported that a key witness for the prosecution, former Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler contradicted the statement in a deposition she gave last month. Her original sworn statement to authorities indicated that it was not her signature on an incriminating letter authorizing payment of a $50,000 county grant to Spence-Jones’ company Karym Ventures, Inc. This played a significant role in Spence-Jones’ arrest.

According to the reports, in the deposition that Carey-Shuler gave on June 21, she admitted that she was involved in drafting the incriminating letter, and did in fact sign it.

In her sworn statement last year, she said was not involved in drafting or authorizing the letter that was written on her county commission letterhead.

At that time, Carey-Shuler told investigators that she was shocked that Spence-Jones received the grant money, which had been approved by Carey-Schuler for two other Liberty City organizations and sourced from grants made from the Metro-Miami Action Plan Trust.

The letter in question directed the Trust to disburse the money to Spence-Jones’ company. The letter was determined to be a forgery on the part of Spence-Jones.

Spence-Jones was arrested on grand-theft charges in November, 2009, shortly after regaining her District 5 city commission seat (that includes Overtown and parts of Liberty City) in a city election.

She was then suspended by Governor Charlie Crist, and a new election held to fill her vacant city commission seat.

Defiant and claiming her innocence, Spence-Jones again ran for the seat in the new elections, won again, but was again suspended by Crist. The Reverend Richard P. Dunn was appointed by the Miami City Commission to fill her seat.

Spence-Jones’ attorney Peter Raben presented two drafts of a letter dated January 9, 2005 and February 15, 2005 to Carey-Shuler. Schuler admitted that hand written notations on the January letter, including the word “should release the $50,000 to Karym” was her handwriting. She also admitted the final February version of the letter, the one that was alleged to be a forgery, was a genuine letter signed by her.

Carey-Shuler explained the confusion was caused because the investigators had not shown her the draft January letter with the handwritten changes. She said, if she had been shown that letter it would have refreshed her memory. She said that at the time of the investigation she was undergoing tremendous stress resulting from the serious illness and the death of two close family members.

She also admitted to Raben that she had not been tricked or misled into redirecting the grant funds to Spence-Jones’ company.

Despite Carey-Schuler’s recant of her original statement in the deposition, the state attorney’s office still intends to move ahead with the case, claiming that Carey-Schuler’s evidence is not the only evidence against Spence-Jones.

Reggie Gaynier, a Liberty City resident and ardent supporter of Spence-Jones, said, “I always maintained Michelle was set up. They tried to destroy her integrity. But when you trust the Lord, the truth will prevail. I and all her supporters in this district are confident Michelle will be vindicated.”