Former NPC Executive Director Mitch Brooks has suffered another setback in his criminal case.
Brooks, who stands accused of taking nearly $1.5 million from the National Plasterers Council, filed a petition to be released on his own recognizance or granted a reduction in his bail requirement -- which is the same as the amount he is accused of stealing. In addition to characterizing the bond as unreasonable, the petition said that Brooks would appear in court. Earlier this month, his request was turned down.
He was arrested in January for alleged bookkeeping irregularities in his management of the National Plasterers Council. He stands charged with two counts of grand theft in the first degree of $100,000 or more, and one of racketeering.
In the past, Brooks' firm, Visioneering Consultants of Port Charlotte, Fla., also was associated with other industry organizations, including the Florida Swimming Pool Association and Genesis.
So far, this is the second decision against Brooks. In April, the judge denied his petition to change representation, after he claimed that his public defender was not spending adequate time on his case. In the petition, he pointed out that this was his first arrest, and made reference to a disability.
