ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The husband of an Orange County Commissioner is now responding to an ethics complaint filed against Mayra Uribe.
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9 Investigates has obtained a copy of a bar complaint Kevin Sutton filed against the attorney who originally alleged an unethical relationship between Sutton and Uribe’s office.
The Florida Bar dismissed Sutton’s complaint against Christian Waugh within a week of the complaint being filed. Counsel wrote in a letter to Sutton: “The Florida Bar is not an alternative dispute resolution forum for private situations.”
“I’m gratified,” Waugh said, in response to the Florida Bar’s decision.
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9 Investigates reported last month how Waugh claimed in the complaint that Uribe allegedly uses her role as commissioner to “bolster her household income” through marketing her husband’s charity, All-Star Dads.
Waugh says Sutton’s complaint was retaliation because it was filed the same day 9 Investigates interviewed Commissioner Uribe about the ethics complaint.
Waugh claimed that Uribe violated state ethics rules by marketing her husband’s charity All-Star Dads on community events hosted by her District 3 office including food and backpack drive.
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But Sutton denied all of Waugh’s claims in the bar complaint, writing the charity “never contributed any money to those events.” Instead, the charity used the events to market the nonprofit, Sutton wrote.
He also wrote, “ASD never received money from [the] County or any other government agency. My wife and I consciously and deliberately separated my not-for-profit from her role as a public official and deliberately ignored any public dollars that were available to avoid any appearance of impropriety.”
Sutton also claimed in the complaint that the charity could solicit donations, and that it was 501(c)3.
The IRS revoked the charity’s tax exemption status in May. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said the charity had not filed paperwork to solicit donations.
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Sutton claimed Waugh was paid to file the ethics complaint against Uribe. Waugh denies it.
Waugh says Sutton’s letter showed little to no evidence to debunk the concerns laid out in the ethics complaint.
“They’re not responding to the actual substance; they’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Waugh said. “The commissioner is my commissioner. I live in the district. I see her signs. Her office is four minutes away from where I live. I mean, I have a very strong vested interest in having a county commissioner who isn’t corrupt while representing me.”
The IRS shows no record of All Star Dads filing Form 990s for the past three years. The IRS requires nonprofits to file the document yearly to maintain tax-exemption status.
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For weeks, 9 Investigates has asked Sutton for copies of the charity’s Form 990s as well as bank statements to see whether Sutton received a profit from the nonprofit. He claimed last month he had the documents and that he would hold a “press conference”. He has not.
Sutton sent a statement to 9 Investigates Friday afternoon. He says he did not know his charity lost tax exemption status and that he was not allowed to solicit donations until we reached out for comment. He claims there is no corruption. He says the problem stems from clerical errors, and he’s working to fix that.
Full Statement:
“This all stems from a clerical error, amidst a time of great tragedy within our organization and my immediate family, compounded by a pandemic that forced us to shut down for nearly two years. All Star Dads, like many other small non and for profit businesses around the country, had to close their doors. As the Executive Director, I was dealing with the loss of both my grandparents and my father, as well as the passing of Linda, the executive chair of my foundation, who had kept the program in compliance for almost 15 years. She was also the grandmother to my children, along with her husband Doug passing the year prior. To say I was lost and overwhelmed with depression would be an understatement.
Despite these challenges, through the work of All-Star Dads changing the lives of multiple families throughout Orange County and beyond, we persevered. I learned about the status of our nonprofit from a text message from your station, requesting an interview. The very next day, I contacted the state and got all the paperwork in order to have our license reinstated and to move forward with our program. The insinuation that these mishaps had something to do with corruption or personal gain is inflammatory and unfounded. We will continue to be very active in this community, championing fatherhood awareness and providing hope for other fathers going through tragedies in their lives, as well as supporting those experiencing the life-changing arrival of a new baby.”
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