LaBrake changed his story, wife's lawyer says

By DAVID KARP

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 18, 2001

TAMPA -- Weeks before Steve LaBrake told reporters about his girlfriend's deal to build a luxury home in South Tampa, the top city building official spoke to his estranged wife's lawyer under oath.

Attorney Mary Elizabeth Quinn said that LaBrake's statements in June and July as part of divorce proceedings contradict what he has said publicly since August.

"The reporting in the (news)paper was very different from the account in the deposition," Quinn said in court Monday.

LaBrake's attorney, Kay J. McGucken, declined to comment.

The depositions are a bargaining chip in the divorce battle between LaBrake and his wife, Barbara. If the couple cannot reach a settlement, the case will go to trial and details of the depositions will be made public, Quinn said.

Quinn asked the judge presiding over LaBrake's divorce for time to depose LaBrake again and investigate his finances. Circuit Judge Marva Crenshaw granted the request.

She would not reveal what LaBrake said under oath that contradicts his public statements. "All I can say is there are discrepancies," she said.

Quinn represents LaBrake's wife, who married LaBrake 27 years ago and raised three children with him. Quinn submitted a marital settlement to LaBrake on Monday. The specifics were not made public.

"These terms are not acceptable," LaBrake said in court about the proposed settlement.

The FBI has already asked to interview LaBrake's wife, Quinn said in court. The interview hasn't taken place yet.

"I have been assured that Barbara LaBrake is absolutely only a witness in the case," said Jack Fernandez, a criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor assisting Mrs. LaBrake.

The FBI began investigating LaBrake in August after news reports about his relationship with Lynne McCarter, a city employee who worked for him at City Hall.

LaBrake initially denied a romantic relationship with McCarter but since has acknowledged that she is pregnant with his child and that he intends to move into the South Tampa home on Corona Street with her.

McCarter advanced through LaBrake's department to become his top aide and receives a $55,723 annual salary. She also obtained a $230,000 mortgage to buy the lot in South Tampa, where she began building the home in January.

Much of the construction is being handled by Ryan Construction at a cost of about $30 per square foot, about a third the price of similar homes in South Tampa.

Ryan has gotten more than $1-million in business from LaBrake's department in recent years. The company did a $12,000 roof truss job on a home LaBrake built on Davis Islands two years ago. Ryan also received several city-related contracts to renovate low-income homes without bids.

- Times staff writer David Karp is at (813) 226-3376 or karp@sptimes.com.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright