Former Tamarac Commissioner Marc Sultanof will turn himself in to the Broward County Jail tomorrow on state corruption charges regarding his involvement with dirty developers Bruce and Shawn Chait and possibly other matters, two informed and reliable sources tell me.
Sultanof is one of five Tamarac commissioners who voted in favor of the Chaits' housing project on two golf courses back in 2006. His former colleague on the commission, Patricia Atkins-Grad, awaits felony corruption charges in relation to an election party and a BMW lease payment made by the Chaits before and after her votes for their controversial development.
Sultanof has been under investigation by the State Attorney's Office for months. Court records indicate that prosecutors are zeroing in on a leased Honda automobile allegedly paid for by the developers. His relationship with another development firm may also be at issue, one of the sources said.
Sultanof, who is 89 years old, may not be a household name in Broward, but he's been one of the most powerful Democrats in condo country for many years. He lives in the Kings Point Condos, a Democratic stronghold where he has has great political influence to the present day. He's especially close with Democratic leaders, including Party Chairman Mitch Ceasar and his close friend Diane Glasser. And he's been one of the top supporters of Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter.
Glasser's longtime political alliance with Sultanof didn't stop her from testifying against him under oath in a statement made to prosecutor Jeannette Camacho.
"He did say to me, he said that he got out of lease and that the Chaits helped him to
facilitate getting a new car," testified Glasser, who was given immunity. "What that really meant, I don't know. But that's what he said to me. He said that the Chaits helped him so he was able to get rid of the car that he had, the lease that he had, and buy the new car. I think it was a Honda."
Sultanof left office in 2008, meaning that the two-year statute of limitations on crimes of corruption is about to run out. That may explain why his arrest is expected to come on Election Day. I left a detailed messages with Sultanof and at the office of his attorney, Lewis Fishman, and will update if either responds. [UPDATE: Fishman's office just got back to me to tell me that Lew wouldn't be commenting on Sultanof's arrest but that he wanted to say he enjoys reading the blog. Hey, I just report what I'm told.]
Others remaining under investigation include Ritter, her colleague on the County Commission Ilene Lieberman, and Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco, among others.
Below is a video of Sultanof introducing Ritter at Kings Point a few months ago as "our lovely lady, Stacy Ritter."