FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale condo president who has been paying himself tens of thousands of dollars from association funds for years has been criminally charged with managing a condo association without a license, according to court records.
The state attorney's office charged Edward J. Ryan, 74, with the second-degree misdemeanor after a state investigation showed he received nearly $50,000 last year from the association.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation also found that Ryan, at one point, purchased a car in Michigan with association funds, altered condo records and violated board election rules at the Georgian Court North.
In a recent Local 10 News report, Ryan made an admission on the air that he was continuing to pay himself condo funds despite a state cease-and-desist letter. Resident Howard Kainer, who has been complaining about Ryan's leadership for 10 years, and was instrumental in sparking investigations, said he is grateful that authorities have finally charged Ryan.
"Edward J. Ryan discovered he can hide from the residents here at Georgian Court North, but he can't hide from the citizens of Broward County once your report aired," Kainer said to Local 10.
Yet Ryan, he said, is still running the condo board.
The misdemeanor charge is punishable by up to 60 days in jail and six months probation.
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