EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. (AP) - The estate of a recently-deceased mayor of a tiny Florida city is being sued by the city to recover money that officials claim was embezzled.
Everglades City this month filed an amended lawsuit against the estate of former Mayor Sammy Hamilton Jr., who was facing criminal charges before his death last August. The city is seeking more than $120,000 plus attorneys’ fees.
Grand theft and official misconduct charges were dropped against the 85-year-old Hamilton after his death.
The Naples Daily News reports he was accused of bypassing city purchasing rules and using taxpayer funds for personal business expenses during his tenure as mayor.
Hamilton’s family has said he was innocent. They wrote that he “was falsely accused of things he did not do” in his obituary.
Located where the Everglades meets the Gulf of Mexico, Everglades City is about 35 miles southeast of Naples.
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