Prolific Tallahassee businessman J.T. Burnette indicted in FBI corruption investigation
John J.T. Burnette, a wealthy entrepreneur and the alleged middle man between City Commissioner Scott Maddox and undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with the bureaus long-running public corruption probe.
Burnette, known for major hotel, restaurant and office projects in Midtown and downtown, turned himself in Thursday morning to FBI agents on federal charges including racketeering, extortion, mail fraud and false statements.
He was the third person to be charged in the investigation, which began in 2015 with the arrival of the agents. In December, Maddox and former Downtown Improvement Authority Executive Director Paige Carter-Smith were indicted on federal charges they ran a bribery and extortion ring out of their Governance consulting firm and committed bank fraud in real-estate deals. Maddox and Carter-Smiths trial is set to begin Nov. 4.
Burnette, during conversations with undercover FBI agents, described Maddox as a vengeful mother------ who expected to be paid by city vendors in exchange for his support. Burnette warned one of the agents the payments shouldnt stop once they begin.
Read more: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/fbi/2019/05/09/jt-burnette-indictment-fbi-corruption-investigation-scott-maddox-tallahassee-fl/1126560001/