Manuel claim: FBI holding back

Manuel claim: FBI holding back
Shoar: System worked; Manuel playing politics
Posted: December 17, 2009 - 12:09am

* Photos

Related Stories

* FBI tape of Shoar shows he thought his role would remain secret
* Transcript: Shoar and McClure

By PETER GUINTA

Suspended St. Johns County Commission Chairman Tom Manuel -- awaiting sentencing in U.S. District Court on an official corruption charge of accepting $60,000 in bribes -- filed a motion Wednesday claiming government prosecutors failed to release FBI tapes and transcripts that might be favorable to him during sentencing.

According to Manuel's attorney, William J. Sheppard of Jacksonville, a transcript of the 50-minute tape that was recorded at 10 p.m. June 11, 2008, shows "how and why the investigation was initiated."

The transcript lists the conversation between St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and St. Augustine land attorney George McClure, of McClure Bloodworth, about the Manuel case and its effect on county politics.

Shoar said Wednesday that he took the case to the FBI after McClure told him Manuel "was asking us to do inappropriate things or arrange for employment for him inappropriately."

Manuel has been quoted as saying that the FBI probe began only four months after he was sworn in and it lasted 14 months.

He believes his anti-growth stance caused developers to "create a story" to get rid of him.

This is his third attempt to get the U.S. Attorney to release material favorable to him.

Manuel's motion says McClure and Shoar were bragging "to each other about how certain matters would not be publicly revealed or known."

Asked to elaborate Wednesday, Manuel said he had no comment.

"I didn't release it, My attorney released it," he said. "The transcript speaks for itself."

But Shoar said Wednesday that this latest motion "is another attempt by Tom Manuel and his attorneys to cloud the issue. All these conversations tell me is that the system works and that I did my job.

Later, Shoar said, "This is going to hurt him during sentencing, It demonstrates that he has no remorse and he's still trying to blame others for his own transgressions. Tom Manuel was out for money. It was just that simple."

McClure said Wednesday that he taped that call to Shoar at the request of the FBI, who wanted him to record first-hand what Manuel had told Shoar. Shoar didn't know he was being taped, McClure said.

What specifically in his conversation with McClure caused Shoar to go to the FBI is not in the transcript, which is why Sheppard believes the FBI has information it has not disclosed to the defense.

Shoar on Wednesday pointed to an instance when he actually helped Manuel's fortunes.

During the 2006 campaign, he said, when Manuel's opponent and political enemies asked Shoar to join a press conference called specifically to discredit him, Shoar refused.

"He asked me what I would do if faced by that kind of situation, and I told him I'd just show up and face them," Shoar said. "That's what Tom did and it worked. Later, Tom said, 'You saved my political bacon with that advice.' I suspected he was dirty, but I took no action."

Later, Shoar was approached by McClure and Robbins.

Shoar said he'd noticed Manuel driving a truck owned by development consultant Paul McCormick of Jacksonville.

"I warned Tom in my office that driving McCormick's car might be unethical, and he said, 'David, I'm the most powerful mother-f er in the county and the public can kiss my a**.'"

Manuel admits making mistakes but has claimed from the start that political motives are behind his prosecution.

He said Shoar wrote recommendations for Phil Mays, who eventually was chosen to fill Manuel's District 4 County Commission seat. Shoar also wrote a recommendation for retired Army Sgt. Major Ray Quinn, who will fill District 3 Commission Mark Miner's commission seat while Miner serves in Iraq.

Shoar, however, challenged Manuel to release all 600 hours of recorded conversations, "including those where he is taking money. They were so damning that they forced him to plead guilty. He's the one playing politics from the beginning of this thing."

Shoar said he had no part in releasing the news of the arrest to the public.

"He was detained outside Giovanni's in Jacksonville Beach, across the street from the Beaches Leader (newspaper). (The editor) saw him and the agents and knew Bruce Robbins. I don't know why the FBI didn't arrest him down the block."

Shoar gave the county's other constitutional officers and the county administrator a call, but no one else.

"When I began getting phone calls the next day (after the arrest), I asked the FBI if I could confirm the rumors and they said yes," he said. "Then the paper (The Record) said I was the one who leaked the story."

Shoar said that during the 2006 election, "Tom got word to some money people that if they paid him $600,000, he would withdraw from the race."

He said he knows his language on the transcript is a little rough.

Ninety-nine percent of corrupt public officials are honest when they first start in office, he said.

"But Tom's the exception," Shoar said. "He ran for office in order to make money. He started corrupt. If we didn't do something about it, we would be guilty of malfeasance. The system worked in this case. As a community, we should be proud of that," Shoar said.