Federal probe of developer baffles supporters

Politicians and affordable housing advocates that have benefited from Carlisle Development Group’s largesse are baffled by the federal grand jury investigation that has tainted the much-lauded Miami-based developer, the Miami Herald reported.

A disclosure from the U.S. attorney’s office in April revealed that the company, its chief executive, Matthew S. Greer, and founder Lloyd Boggio, are under investigation following allegations by former executives that it defrauded taxpayers by padding construction costs for public projects in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, as The Real Deal has reported.

“It did catch me off guard,” Miami-Dade Commission Audrey Edmonson, who, like other commissioners, has received substantial campaign contributions from Carlisle and its executives, told the Herald. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Carlisle, the third largest affordable housing developer in the U.S., will cut the ribbon today on the Anchorage Apartments, which target working families and individuals making 50 to 60 percent of the median-area income, in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood.

“I personally think Matt Greer is passionate about helping this community and dealing with social issues so the whole community benefits,” Barbara Ibarra, executive director of The Miami Coalition of the Homeless, told the Herald.

“It is not consistent with who he is,” she said of the investigation. [Miami Herald] –Emily Schmall