U.S. Marshals have started the process of seizing Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo’s home and property, as part of an effort by two Little Havana businessmen to collect on a $63 million verdict a jury awarded them in federal civil court last year.
In their lawsuit, the men, William “Bill” Fuller and Martin Pinilla, accused Carollo of weaponizing city resources to carry out a personal vendetta against them. Following the jury verdict, a federal judge issued an order in January, greenlighting the seizure of Carollo’s properties and other assets belonging to the commissioner.
An official with the Marshals made the first move to carry out the judge’s order Friday afternoon, when he placed a notice on the door of Carollo’s Coconut Grove house along with a copy of the final judgment and writ of execution.
The federal official did not enter the house and left within minutes of arriving. Carollo has repeatedly denied the allegations in the lawsuit and told the Miami Herald he is being “politically persecuted.” He is expected to challenge the seizure of his property in court.