WASHINGTON \u2014 North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph is being held in contempt of Congress, Local 10 News learned on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The decision<\/a> by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics, dated June 10, came after the panel, while investigating then-U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Florida, had \u201csought documents and testimony\u201c from Joseph, who failed to hand over any papers or appear before the committee despite being issued \u201dmultiple subpoenas.”<\/p>\n According to the report, a subcommittee said Joseph\u2019s actions were \u201cegregious and warrants referral to the U.S. Department of Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n The ethics panel made allegations of illegal campaign donations<\/a> to Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April under the threat of possible expulsion, through a political committee chaired by Joseph.<\/p>\n If convicted of the federal contempt charge, a misdemeanor, Joseph could spend up to a year in jail and receive a fine of up to $100,000.<\/p>\n Joseph has also faced separate questions over his conduct as mayor. He narrowly avoided being censured<\/a> by city commissioners after a city investigation concluded he placed North Miami Beach in \u201csubstantial legal, financial and ethical risk.\u201d<\/p>\n The allegations suggested<\/a> that Joseph asked an employee to alter official government records, a potential violation of state public records laws and city employees raised questions about some of Joseph\u2019s travel expenses to Japan \u201cincluding an upgrade to First Class resulting in a charge in excess of $3,000 to the City,\u201d an investigation report stated.<\/p>\n The mayor, at the time, called the report \u201cinaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n Local 10 News contacted Joseph and a city spokesperson seeking comment on Wednesday night. As of publication of this article, we hadn\u2019t received a response.<\/p>\n Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April before the House Ethics Committee started proceedings that could have led to her expulsion. She is facing federal charges after being accused of stealing $5 million in federal disaster aid funds<\/a>.<\/p>\n