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Ex-Tampa Official LaBrake Finishing Sentence In Halfway House

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2008

TAMPA - Steve LaBrake, the former Tampa housing director who was sentenced to five years in a federal penitentiary in a bribery scandal, will serve out the remainder of his term in a halfway house in Tampa, federal prison officials said.

LaBrake and his wife, Lynne, were convicted in November 2004 on more than 25 counts each of conspiracy and wire fraud and two dozen charges of accepting gratuities.

He had been serving his term in a Panhandle work camp but was transferred last week to a halfway house, said John Gaither, a community corrections manager for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. LaBrake will complete his sentence March 22, 2009.

Gaither said LaBrake is looking for work and participating in a drug treatment program.

"One of the conditions of his early release is that he find a job," he said.

If LaBrake abides by the conditions of his release, he will be eligible to leave the facility on 12- and 24-hour passes within a 100-mile radius of the halfway house, Gaither said.

Felicia Ponce, a spokeswoman for the federal bureau of prisons in Washington, said LaBrake's early release from the penitentiary is routine for nonviolent offenders.

"It's not uncommon for inmates to serve out the last six months of their sentence in a halfway house to facilitate their integration back into the community," she said.

The LaBrakes were accused of giving city work to a contractor, Dean Ryan, who gave Steve LaBrake a discount on the construction of his new home in South Tampa.

Ryan, 68, pleaded guilty in 2004 to bribing a public official and conspiracy to commit federal offenses. He testified in LaBrake's trial and was sentenced in 2005 to five years of probation and six months of house arrest. He also paid $72,000 in fines.

His testimony was considered crucial to the government's case against the LaBrakes, which involved explaining a complex trail of money to jurors.

Lynne LaBrake, who worked for the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, was accused of conspiring with him on various bribery and fraud schemes.

She was sentenced to 3 1/2 years and was released from Coleman Correctional Facility in June. She will be on parole for the next three years, prison officials said.

In August 2007, the city's pension board voted unanimously to deny the LaBrakes their municipal pensions. Florida law requires that public employees must forfeit retirement benefits if they are convicted of felonies involving breach of public trust.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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