Dec. 06--Former pro boxer Lou Martinez thought it was strange from the beginning.
Just a day before the Golden Gloves state boxing tournament, former West Palm Beach Fire Marshal Derrick Daniels told Martinez the venue didn't have the proper permits and if Martinez wanted to have the annual event, he'd have to pay up.
Pressured with limited time and really no other option, Martinez remembers asking, "Who do I make the check out to?
"And (Daniels) showed me his card from the city fire department and pointed at his name."
It wasn't the first time the former battalion chief and fire marshal requested payment in exchange for fire rescue services that Daniels said were mandatory, city investigators say. In addition to Martinez and City Soccer for the boxing tournament, Daniels, 45, charged Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing for a fire inspection for a wedding fireworks display and for another display on Clematis Street.
West Palm Beach city officials began their investigation after receiving a call from an employee with Life Safety Management.
The employee called the city on April 30, speaking of a $400 inspection fee requested by Daniels and said, "is that the way the system works?"
"Clearly that's not the way the system works," city spokesman Elliot Cohen said Thursday at a news conference regarding Daniels' arrest. "On one level it's tragic and it's sad. On another level, it's something that obviously the city's not going to tolerate."
Daniels, a city employee since 1988, was notified in May that he was being investigated. He was placed on paid administrative leave and resigned May 13, making a $97,459 yearly salary. City rules say an employee must be 50 years old or work for the city for 26 years to be eligible for a pension. In five years a pension board will decide if Daniels will be rewarded the money.
City rules also say no one should pay a fire inspector on site, and if a fee is required, it is charged through the city. As part of Daniels' rank, he was not entitled to overtime if doing an after-hours inspection.
At Daniels' first court appearance Thursday morning, Judge James Martz ordered he be held in lieu of $14,500 bail. Daniels, of Port St. Lucie, was represented by attorney Evelyn Pennington. As of Thursday evening Daniels -- who faces charges of bribery, fraud and grand theft -- was still locked up.
In April, Martinez with the Golden Glove Charities of South Florida, rented space from City Soccer on Clare Avenue for the championships. Daniels met with director of City Soccer, Cristian Rodriguez, and told him he wasn't allowed to host the event. If Martinez wanted to have the event, he would have to be on "fire watch" and Daniels would need to supervise the event at $100 an hour. Rodriguez and Martinez ended up splitting the costs and paid Daniels more than $1,000.
"He's in a position of authority and honor and integrity and for him to take advantage of that when he already made a pretty high salary and had a pretty good job a lot of people would kill for, it's pretty hard to believe that he would take those steps," Martinez said.
Investigators say they had surveillance of Daniels in his uniform at local banks -- Wells Fargo on Banyan Boulevard and the Regions Bank on Military Trail and TD Bank on Blue Heron Boulevard -- depositing the checks he fraudulently obtained from the businesses.
Cohen said no one else is involved in the internal investigation.
Copyright 2013 - The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
