Firm tied to Amodeo Sued For Back Rent

Firm tied to Amodeo sued for back rent
Jim Leusner
Sentinel Staff Writer

June 6, 2007

The landlord for embattled Orlando venture capitalist Frank L. Amodeo has filed suit against a related company that leased two floors in the SunTrust Center downtown, alleging that the firm owes nearly $72,500 in back rent.

New York-based SunTrust Center Owner LLC sued Presidion Solutions Inc. and an unidentified party referred to as "John Doe" in a lawsuit filed last month in Orange Circuit Court. It seeks back rent for the 27th and 28th floors of the tower, along with attorneys' fees.

During the past year, those two floors have been occupied and controlled by Amodeo, his AQMI Strategy Corp. consulting firm and other entities related to Mirabilis Ventures Inc., an Orlando-based equity fund he founded which has been selling off assets and closing companies while a federal grand jury examines its financial operations.

The suit charges that Hollywood-based Presidion Solutions Inc., a payroll and benefits outsourcing company that Amodeo served as a vice president in 2005 and 2006, has defaulted on its leases since May 8. The leases, which show Presidion rented a total of 29,234 square feet on the two floors for $66,000 monthly, were signed in January and August 2006 by Amodeo as executive vice president.

SunTrust Center's lawyer, Mark Cooper, would not comment.

A receptionist for Amodeo's AQMI office on the 28th floor referred a Sentinel reporter to Dan Cence, a Boston-based public-relations specialist who has acted as a spokesman for Amodeo and Mirabilis in recent months. On Tuesday, Cence said he no longer worked for them.

The lawsuit is at least the 15th filed against Amodeo, Mirabilis or related entities since Jan. 31.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against Mirabilis Ventures and four defunct Presidion Solutions payroll companies, seeking as much as $223 million in overdue corporate and payroll taxes dating back to 2001.

Amodeo, related companies or Mirabilis controlled those entities, records show. As much as $161 million in federal employment and unemployment taxes were collected from client businesses by Presidion Solutions VII Inc. in 2005 and 2006, but never paid to the government, one suit alleges.

Jim Leusner can be reached at jleusner@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5411.