Nov 13, 2009 8:17 pm US/Eastern
Spence-Jones Denies Charges After Leaving Jail
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Suspended Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones waves to supporters after she was released on bond following her arrest Friday on public corruption charges.
CBS
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Miami District 5 commissioner Michelle Spence Jones as she arrives at the Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, to surrender on public corruption charges
CBS
After getting out of jail, suspended Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones once again addressed the allegations in her second exclusive interview with
CBS4's Jawan Strader.
She addressed the 2nd degree Grand Theft charge, as Strader asked her if she misused grant money. Spence-Jones said "Absolutely not."
She is accused of stirring $50,000 of grant money meant for other businesses back in 2005. At the center of the investigation is a letter from 2005. It allegedly stirs the grant money meant for two other businesses to Spence-Jones's for-profit organization Karym Ventures, Inc.
The letter came from former commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler's office, the same office Spence-Jones worked with before she was became a commissioner herself. Also, Carey-Shuler says she knew nothing about the letter, and it was not her signature on it, but that it was forged.
Spence-Jones says it wasn't her who forged it saying, "First of all the question would become who is it forged by? Ok. So, unless somebody has evidence that Spence-Jones forged it, then this is just talk."
But the state attorney's office believes the letter is proof of wrongdoing by Spence-Jones. "I have never done anything, so I think as the time goes on and the weeks go on, and these whole thing flushes itself out. We have to have some real questions," says Spence-Jones.
She questions the timing of the indictment that came on the same week she was sworn in for a second term.
"So, the question becomes, is this a witch hunt? What reason would you want to do this on a night for a community that really needs a lot of help? Why would you want to put this negative energy in a community that at least feels inspired and hopeful that things are changing?" says Spence-Jones.
She says she's ready to fight to prove her innocence and clear her name, saying she did nothing wrong.
"And guess what? The evidence will come as we go through this whole case. Absolutely not! And I will stand and I will fight, cause' I know that we are right."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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