Miramar renews amphitheater contract with vendor tied to Miami federal fraud probe
Miramar commissioners voted 4-1 Wednesday night to renew the city’s amphitheater concession contract with a company whose owner was identified in federal court records as an alleged co-conspirator in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving the Jackson Health Foundation.
The renewal comes months after Miami federal prosecutors identified Darryl Holsendolph in court papers as a co-conspirator in the criminal case against former Jackson Health Foundation Chief Operating Officer Charmaine Gatlin.
Holsendolph has not been charged with a crime.
Commissioners approved a one-year contract extension with Holsen Inc. to continue exclusively providing food and drinks at the city-owned amphitheater beginning in August.
The agenda item prepared by City Manager Roy Virgin did not mention the Jackson Health Foundation investigation or the allegations contained in federal court records against Holsendolph.
Miramar expects to receive approximately $20,000 annually in concession revenue from Holsendolph’s company through the sale of food, alcohol and beverages at festivals, concerts and other events at the amphitheater inside Miramar Regional Park.
Holsendolph has had a contract with the city since 2023.
The Miramar News reached out to city officials and commissioners for comment but has not received a response as of June 4.
At the June 3 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Maxwell B. Chambers cast the lone dissenting vote.
“I want to know who is really running that concession at the amphitheater,” Chambers said, without mentioning Holsendolph by name. Chambers asked for a performance report and a delay on the vote.
Miramar Mayor Wayne M. Messam and other commissioners pushed to vote on the contract extension rather than wait until the next meeting to allow Chambers’ questions to be answered.
A Miami Herald investigation in February examined the massive kickback scheme engineered by Gatlin and detailed how Holsendolph helped Gatlin steal millions of dollars, according to federal prosecutors and receipts reviewed by the outlet.
Gatlin pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after admitting she embezzled millions of dollars from the foundation, which raises money to support Jackson Health System, the public agency that operates Miami-Dade’s largest public hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Gatlin is serving her sentence at a federal women’s prison in South Carolina.
According to Gatlin’s federal indictment, Holsendolph was identified as “Co-Conspirator 3.” Prosecutors alleged that Gatlin and Holsendolph falsified invoices submitted to the foundation and kept some of the money, the Herald reported.
Court and public records show Holsendolph submitted 180 invoices totaling nearly $4 million to the Jackson Health Foundation, the Herald reported.
Prosecutors alleged the invoices were fabricated by Gatlin and Holsendolph, according to the indictment.
The indictment details the alleged scheme: Gatlin used foundation money to pay Holsen Inc. for services, then asked Holsendolph for kickbacks through the purchase of luxury items such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags, Apple electronics, personal travel and a membership at an exclusive golf club, prosecutors alleged.
Federal prosecutors also alleged that some invoices submitted by Holsen Inc. billed the foundation for goods or services that were never provided.
Miramar commissioners appeared unaware of Holsendolph’s connection to the case, and city staff made no mention of it while recommending approval of the one-year contract extension.
At the time of the Miami Herald investigation, both Holsendolph and his attorney declined to comment, citing the ongoing federal investigation. The Miramar News also reached out to Holsendolph’s attorney, Larry Handfield, for comment, but has not received a response as of June 4.
