Former Siesta Key hotel manager arrested after allegedly stealing $100k from resort
Billy Vann Prater Jr., 39, was arrested on May 21 after deputies said he used his status as the Siesta Key Palms Resort manager at 1800 Stickney Point Road to give free rooms or cancel rooms, while pocketing the money.
The resort's owner met with Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputies on Nov. 26 to file a fraud report. He told deputies that he had discovered theft from the resort by his former office manager following a financial audit.
Riley Hudson, Prater's attorney, declined to provide a comment about the case but stated that all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
In case you missed it: Caught on camera: Bradenton traffic dispute escalates to gunfire and criminal charges
In addition to using his status to give free rooms, Prater hired a handyman to do jobs on the property, but it was unclear what work was done and if the amount paid was inflated, the owner told deputies.
Prater also committed FEMA fraud by adding extra stays to FEMA-approved accounts even though the guests didn't stay those nights, deputies said. The information was forwarded to FEMA, and the owner was left paying FEMA $7,003.
A financial audit found that the money was taken from the end of 2023 through 2024 when it was discovered.
Prater bonded out of jail on May 22 for $50,000. He has a criminal arraignment hearing on June 20.
Melissa Pérez-Carrillo covers breaking news and public safety for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Reach out at mperezcarrillo@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ex-Siesta Key hotel manager arrested for alleged $100k resort theft
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
6 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘Dehumanizing': Inside the Broadview ICE facility where immigrants sleep on cold concrete
The sounds of weeping mothers curled on cold concrete floors echoed through the walls at the federal immigration processing center in Broadview, keeping Gladis Chavez awake for most of the night. The cries came in waves, she recalled. Quiet whimpers, choked gasps and occasional prayers. About children left behind and fears of what would happen next. Most of the women who had been detained at a routine check-in June 4 at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Chicago now had nothing but each other and a few jackets they shared to fight off the nightly chill that seeped into their bones in a nondescript brick building just off the Eisenhower Expressway. By day three, Chavez said, her body ached with exhaustion. On day four, she and some of the other women were finally transferred out. The west suburban processing center is designed to hold people for no more than 12 hours before transferring them to a formal immigration detention facility. It has no beds, let alone any covers, Chavez said. They were not offered showers or hot food. No toothbrushes or feminine products. And certainly, Chavez recalled, those detained had no answers from immigration authorities about what would happen next. An investigation by the Chicago Tribune found that immigration detainees such as Chavez have been held for days at the processing center, a two-story building that is designed as a temporary way station until detainees can be transferred to jails out of state. For busier periods in June, data shows the typical detainee was held two or three days — far longer than the five or so hours typical in years past. The findings, which come from a Tribune analysis of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained and shared by the research group Deportation Data Project, show that the federal agency has routinely violated ICE's internal guidelines, which say the facility shouldn't hold people for more than 12 hours. Chavez became one of hundreds of people held in the facility for longer than 12 hours under the latest crackdown. Data showed that at least three people spent six or more days there. 'There were nearly 30 other women there in a single big room. Most were mothers who couldn't stop crying. The group of men were in a separate room,' Chavez said in Spanish, speaking to the Tribune in a Zoom interview from Honduras. In the group, she said, she met women who were nursing, pregnant women and elderly women. 'I never want any of my children, or any other person to go through this. It's dehumanizing, they treat us worse than criminals,' Chavez said. ICE, for its part, declined to respond to questions about the Tribune's findings and has not released its own data calculating how often it has held people in Broadview. But on the agency's website, it says it employs 'a robust, multilevel oversight and compliance program' to ensure each facility follows a 'strict set of detention standards.' A spokesperson for ICE reportedly told ABC 7 that: 'Any accusations that detainees are treated inhumanely in any way are categorically false. … There are occasions where detainees might need to stay at the Broadview office longer than the anticipated administrative processing time. While these instances are a rarity, detainees in such situations are given ample food, regular access to phones, showers and legal representation as well as medical care when needed.' Few can get inside to see what's going on, frustrating immigrant rights advocates and their allies in Congress. In mid-June, as the facility was cycling through detainees such as Chavez, four Democratic members of Congress were denied entry into the Broadview facility during an unannounced visit. On Wednesday, a dozen Democratic members of Congress who have been blocked from making oversight visits at immigration detention centers filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration that seeks to ensure they are granted entry into the facilities, including Broadview, even without prior notice. In Illinois, immigrant rights advocates are urging Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to investigate the Broadview facility's ownership structure and contractual agreements with federal immigration authorities. They're also calling for a full site inspection and for the state to use all available legal tools to shut the facility down. State and local officials, however, say there's little they can do to force the U.S. government to change how it operates a federal facility. The longer detention times in Broadview have come as the Trump administration has pushed a massive boost in arrests while scrambling to build out the infrastructure to handle them, creating logistical logjams that can be particularly felt in Illinois, which has forbid local jails from holding ICE detainees. That means anyone arrested in the Chicago area must be sent out of state, once they're processed by ICE. So, for now, that can mean a small processing facility in the western suburbs — one that rarely held anyone overnight during the final years of President Joe Biden's administration — can end up warehousing dozens of detainees as they await ICE to move them. State Sen. Omar Aquino, a Chicago Democrat, was the primary sponsor of the Illinois Way Forward Act, which also limited local jails from contracting with ICE. He did not respond to questions regarding the unintentional hardships detainees are now facing because of the law. Instead, he said he 'stand(s) by the progress we have made in solidifying Illinois as a welcoming state, where immigrant families can live without fear and raise their children in a safe and supportive environment.' Chavez, who had been an immigration advocate in Chicago for nearly a decade, was deported on July 13 back to her native Honduras after spending more than a month in different ICE facilities in Illinois and Kentucky. She said she still feels traumatized by a system that separated her from her children and grandchildren while causing emotional and physical pain. Her ankles are still swollen from being shackled as she moved from one facility to another flown back to Honduras. 'I'm trying to heal both emotionally and physically,' she said. In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, described the Broadview facility as a '12-hour hold facility with the typical stay of approximately five hours,' with a DHS auditor noting that 'absent exceptional circumstances, no detainee should be housed in a holding facility for longer than 12 hours.' When the members of Congress attempted to visit the site in June, Rep. Delia Ramirez noted, in a speech on the House floor, that ICE had posted a sign saying that the agency only 'processes' arrestees there and 'does not house aliens at these locations.' Yet, ICE's own data would suggest otherwise. The Tribune examined an ICE dataset, provided through the Deportation Data Project, that recorded dates and times of everyone detained at an ICE facility across the country, from September 2023 through June 26. The data had limitations. ICE recorded a time, down to the minute, when each person was checked in and out, but the Tribune found that the logs sometimes recorded people leaving Broadview only a minute or two before entering another facility hundreds of miles away, suggesting ICE may not have properly logged when someone left. To adjust for that, the Tribune computed earlier times people may have left Broadview, based on reasonable travel times from Broadview to the next ICE facilities — calculated through online mapping software and more plausible entries by ICE for others sent the same places. Even adjusting down the length of potential stays in Broadview, the analysis found a clear jump in how long detainees were held there, particularly earlier this summer. The median time logged for someone — meaning that half had shorter stays and half had longer — jumped beyond 12 hours for people booked into Broadview by mid-June. The median time continued rising as the month continued, eclipsing 24 hours for the typical detainee before they left Broadview, and then two days and sometimes three days. Even when the figures were averaged out over seven days — to smooth out any abnormally busy or slow days — the median stay in Broadview approached 48 hours for detainees, or four times as long as the 12-hour ICE guideline. While the ICE data doesn't name those detained, Chavez's biographical data and description of her journey through ICE facilities matched what was logged for one person. The log describes a Honduran woman as a widow, born the same year as her, with no criminal record but a deportation order issued in January, who was booked into the Broadview facility the morning of June 4 and not transferred out until more than three days later. The Tribune analysis found that ICE booked more arrestees on June 4 — 88 — than any on other day covered by the data. They joined another 23 who had been shipped that day to Broadview from facilities in Wisconsin and Indiana that house ICE detainees, as ICE shuffled detainees across the country. That made it the busiest day for bookings in Broadview through late June, as ICE ramped up enforcement in the Chicago area, and fueled the long stays in a place where advocates and family members of the detained say people have been held without basic necessities or medical care. In the federal government's 2023 audit of the facility, it confirmed the facility has six holding cells — two large ones, two smaller ones and two single-occupancy — with the four largest cells each having a toilet for detainees to share, as well as 'a place to sit while awaiting processing.' The audit said the facility lacked a medical unit, medical staff, food facilities or food staff. 'While the two large holding rooms are equipped with a single shower; these showers are inoperable, and the space is currently used for storage,' the 2023 audit noted. Marina Lopez Perez also was detained on June 4 after she showed up to a check-in with ICE in its South Loop facility. The Guatemala native spent three days in Broadview before she was taken to Grayson Country Detention Center in Kentucky, where she awaits her release or deportation. She left behind three children, two of them U.S. citizens, and a husband. She calls when she can, said her husband, who asked that his name be withheld, fearing ICE retaliation. Though he first tried to shield their two younger kids from the truth, telling them that their mother was at work, time, fear and reality that she may be deported, caught up to him. Now the children know, though they don't fully understand, that their mother is in jail. 'There are times when I hear her crying through the phone,' Lopez's husband said. 'I know it is not easy to be in there.' Their older son, a 13-year-old, whose name the Tribune is withholding at the family's request, said he worries constantly about his mother, especially after learning about the complaints of conditions at facilities such as Broadview. 'There are nights when I can't sleep thinking about my mom,' the teen said. 'I wonder if she's sleeping, or if she even got to eat.' Immigrant rights advocates complain that such conditions not only violate detainees' human rights, but also ICE's own policies. 'It's overflowed. They're not able to take people out within the times they are supposed to,' said Brandon Lee, with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. In July, advocates outlined their concerns about the Broadview facility's violations of state law in a letter to Raoul and Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, asking for their support. But both elected officials said that they do not possess direct investigating authority over ICE. Raoul added that only Congress could step in, while noting that reports of conditions at Broadview, 'while disturbing, are consistent with the deplorable conditions we have seen at federal ICE facilities around the nation.' Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, agreed that state law cannot force changes at federally operated facilities like Broadview. He said the group is pushing Congress for more oversight of ICE operations, which the Republican-controlled body infused with a significant boost in cash to ramp up immigration enforcement, including building new detention centers. Some advocates want Broadview shut down altogether. 'The 'facilities' also use torture-based tactics to create an even more hostile environment inside for immigrants — from lights on all the time that don't let them sleep, lack of medical care, lack of mental health support from officers — to the point that individuals detained had to create networks of emotional support,' said Antonio Gutierrez, co-founder and current Strategic Coordinator for Organized Communities Against Deportations. Without oversight, federal agencies may get away with violating their own rules and with that the rights of immigrants, said Ramirez, who represents Illinois' 3rd Congressional District. In a speech on the House floor June 25, Ramirez noted the irony that ICE insisted the Broadview facility was a processing center, and not a detention center, so it didn't have to allow members of Congress inside. 'Let me be very clear. Just because something isn't named a detention facility doesn't mean this administration isn't going to use it as one,' she said at the time. 'If people are detained there, it is a detention facility, period.' For now, the families of detained loved ones endure — whether it is Chavez back in Honduras, thousands of miles away from her three children, or Lopez, who is only a couple of hundred of miles away from her three children, but still unable to see them. Even if Lopez's husband wanted to take the children to see their mother in detention, the trip would be too difficult, he said. The family lives in north suburban Lake County and Lopez is in Kentucky. Chavez said she is still trying to comprehend how she ended up detained, sleeping on the cold floor in Broadview, shackled and deprived of basic necessities. 'We prayed. Sometimes we braided each other's hair. We cried,' recalling her detention in Broadview and Kentucky, Chavez said. Her lawyer said they will continue to appeal her asylum case from Honduras.
San Francisco Chronicle
15 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lake Tahoe boating crackdown launched for Fourth of July weekend after deadly capsize
In the wake of one of Lake Tahoe's deadliest maritime disasters, law enforcement agencies across California and Nevada are mounting a full-scale safety campaign this Fourth of July weekend to prevent further tragedy on the lake's famously pristine but perilous waters. Last month, a sudden and violent squall capsized a boat near D.L. Bliss State Park, throwing 10 people into the frigid lake. Eight died. Two survived by clinging to the rocky shore in life jackets. The incident, among the worst recreational boating accidents in the region's history, sent shock waves through the tight-knit Tahoe boating community. From July 4 to 6, agencies from both states will participate in Operation Dry Water, a nationwide effort to curb boating under the influence through increased patrols, sobriety checkpoints and public education. Launched in 2009 by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and supported by the U.S. Coast Guard, the campaign targets holiday weekends when waterways are busiest. 'Recreate responsibly: wear your life jacket, designate a sober operator and make safety the priority every time you're on the water,' Ramona Fernandez, deputy director of California's Division of Boating and Waterways, said in a statement. Captain Buck Tingle of the Nevada Department of Wildlife echoed the urgency. 'Drinking and boating is a recipe for disaster,' he added. 'Our job is to ensure everyone's safety on the water. If you're boating under the influence, you could be ending your holiday in handcuffs.' Participating agencies include dozens of county sheriff's departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and law enforcement units from Washoe and El Dorado counties. Patrol boats will be active on Lake Tahoe, Lake Mead, Lake Oroville and other heavily trafficked waterways. Boaters are being urged to wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, check weather forecasts, file float plans and avoid alcohol while on the water. According to the Coast Guard, alcohol was the leading contributing factor in 17% of fatal boating accidents in 2023. In addition to enforcing sobriety, authorities are ramping up environmental protections. Mandatory boat inspections and designated no-wake zones — areas with strict speed limits to prevent boats from creating waves that disturb wildlife habitats or swimmers — are to be enforced around Lake Tahoe. A free Tahoe Boating app provides live weather updates, no-wake zone maps and safety tips. Officials warn that weather conditions could pose additional risks. The National Weather Service warns of gusty southwest winds on Thursday and Friday, with speeds reaching up to 25 mph on the lake and up to 40 mph on ridges. These winds may generate hazardous waves, especially for smaller vessels. Conditions are expected to improve by the weekend, bringing sunny skies and seasonal temperatures in the low to mid-70s. 'People often think of life jackets as bulky or uncomfortable,' Tingle said. 'But they've come a long way. Today's life jackets are stylish, comfortable — and most importantly, they save lives.' With tens of thousands expected on Tahoe's waters this weekend, authorities hope increased vigilance and a strong multiagency presence will keep the holiday celebration safe.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
NYPD bosses got federal $$ for helicopter training they didn't need
The feds are looking into overtime abuse at the NYPD's elite Aviation unit under ousted NYPD Chief Winston Faison — who allegedly approved payments for rescue training for cop cronies who had nothing to do with rescues, The Post has learned. Lt. Lakeisha Smith, Lt. Winston Wright and Detective Tanesha Facey, Faison's driver, made up to 20 overtime hours per month — funded by a federal maritime safety training grant administered by FEMA, police sources said. 'They're literally doing nothing for the training whatsoever except putting in overtime slips,' one source said. 6 Former NYPD Aviation Commander Winston Faison's unit is being eyed for misuse of federal overtime dollars, police sources said. Winston Faison/ Facebook Smith's total pay for 2024 rose to $185,405 from $122,892 the prior year — or more than $60,000 thanks to overtime and other extras, like differentials for working later shifts or holidays. Facey's pay went from $115,923 to $159,249. Lt. Winston Wright's haul increased to $177,654 in 2024 compared to $135,595 the year before, according to state payroll data. None of the three are licensed pilots or mechanics or have anything to do with the training maneuvers, three sources said. The three officers didn't return messages. 6 Lt. Winston Wright's federal overtime pay is being eyed by investigators, sources and officials said. Faison was transferred by the NYPD last week as the Federal Aviation Administration investigated safety issues at the unit, reported exclusively by The Post. He has since retired, NYPD documents show. Smith filed her retirement papers Wednesday, sources said. The FAA went to the unit's headquarters earlier this month and demanded to see records about safety issues, including a hard landing and tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to an aircraft during a hovering exercise, The Post revealed last week. 'This matter is under investigation,' an NYPD spokesman said in response to an email asking about the safety and overtime issues. 6 Det. Tanesha Facey also got the federal overtime hours for air sea rescue training, police sources said. 6 Lt. Lakeisha Smith was one of the Aviation members who got federal overtime money meant for air sea rescue training, according to police sources. Obtained by the New York Post Faison, has only a few hundred hours of flying time under his belt in comparison to other unit pilots with thousands of hours, also took at least one off-the-books trip with the unit's Bell 429 helicopter that was not properly recorded in the aircraft's log book, the sources said. Faison took the pricey helicopter to Farmingdale Airport in Long Island on June 27 — where he keeps his personal plane and runs a non-profit called Aviate4Us to encourage inner city youth to become pilots, records show. The group has had about $20,000 in contracts with the city Department of Youth and Community Development, city records show. Facey was with Faison on the trip but he failed to include her when he filled out the helicopter's log book, which is supposed to show who was on the flight and where it went, records obtained by The Post show. 6 The FAA is also looking at safety issues at the unit, including damage done to a helicopter during a hovering training exercise with Faison as pilot, police sources said. Obtained by the New York Post 'When Faison put it over on the radio, he said 'Faison airborne,'' a law enforcement source said. But the supervisor on duty knew he wasn't alone and incuded Facey in the master log book entry he made, according to records. Faison also didn't get permission from headquarters at One Police Plaza to leave the city and fly to the airport, which is required, the sources said. He also didn't record that he landed in Farmingdale and instead noted only a stop in Islip where the NYPD's keeps its spy plane. 6 Chief Winston Faison approved the federal overtime payments to his cronies, police sources said. Winston Faison/ Facebook The FBI is looking at the misuse of the overtime grant money as part of a larger investigation that began after The Post exclusively reported bombshell allegations that disgraced NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey paid Lt. Quathisha Epps overtime for sexual favors, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said. 'It's a massive investigation,' a second law enforcement source said.
