Former Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo is due in court Monday to face new federal fraud charges, court records show.
Santeramo, 67, was indicted on two mail fraud charges, accused of misappropriating more than $35,000 from the Broward school district's "accountability program," according to court records filed Friday.
Santeramo, of Sewall's Point, is expected to appear Monday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale for a hearing on the charges.
The federal charges each carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in federal prison. Santeramo did not immediately respond to a phone message left at his home Sunday.
His lawyer, Ben Kuehne, said Santeramo denies any wrongdoing.
"Pat Santeramo intends to fight these charges, just as he is fighting for vindication against baseless allegations of financial misconduct lodged by the State of Florida," Kuehne said.
The indictment alleges that Santeramo diverted at least $35,000 from the district's accountability program payments to the union between 2006 and June 2011. Monthly payments were then illegally made to Santeramo and at least one other employee, prosecutors wrote in the indictment, though Santeramo is the only suspect identified by name in court records.
The money, provided to the union by the School Board, was supposed to be used for training, guest speakers and to give teachers time to work on related projects, prosecutors wrote.
In a separate case, Santeramo is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 19 in Broward Circuit court on state charges that he misappropriated about $300,000 from the union and contractor kickbacks.
Santeramo has pleaded not guilty to the state charges, which include racketeering conspiracy, grand theft, money laundering and fraud. He has been free on bond since those charges were filed in July 2012.
The state charges allege that Santeramo concocted a scheme to divert about $165,000 in union funds to himself, receiving kickbacks of up to $20,000 when Marstan Construction, of Coral Springs, changed light bulbs, repaired an elevator, or sprayed to kill ants.
State prosecutors also alleged Santeramo submitted a fraudulent memo to pick up $121,000 in lieu of sick and vacation time, according to court records.
Much of the money went to pay for a $587,000 vacation home Santeramo and his wife bought in Martin County, state prosecutors said.
Santeramo led the 11,000-member union for 10 years and received a salary of up to $189,000. Santeramo, the former band director at Walker Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale, was hired in 1978 and taught for the district for 17 years before becoming a fulltime union employee.
He took the top role at the union in 2001 after former president Tony Gentile was arrested, and later pleaded guilty to, exchanging child pornography and arranging to meet an undercover officer who posed online as a 14-year-old girl.
Santeramo had a reputation for tough talk and swiftly shutting down opposition in the union. He raised some eyebrows when he decorated his office at union headquarters with posters from "The Godfather," "The Sopranos" and "Goodfellas."
He resigned in December 2011 while he was facing a union expulsion vote and was under criminal investigation.
(c)2015 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
