Brownsville's Larrie Lovett II: A Religious Nut Who Should Burn in Hell

Miami's kids won a pyrrhic victory yesterday. Larrie Lovett II pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years of probation for stealing more than $70,000 from the Children's Trust -- a teen anti-violence program -- and other charities. He spent the money he stole from those children on his Pembroke...

By Chuck Strouse

January 17, 2014

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Miami's kids won a pyrrhic victory yesterday.

Larrie Lovett II pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years of probation for stealing more than $70,000 from the Children's Trust -- a teen anti-violence program -- and other charities.

He spent the money he stole from those children on his Pembroke Pines home, his Lexus, and a vacation in Orlando.

Lovett II was chairman and director of the Brownsville Community Development Corporation Inc.

His Facebook page includes numerous quotes from the Bible and posts exhorting followers at the Antioch Baptist Church, where he preached, to "keep praying. Our God is mighty."

Also: "Those who know God but don't know God will come to know God because they know you."

The Antioch Church also has a Facebook page, which shows the decent people Lovett fooled and is filled with Bible quotes as well. "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21."

Lovett stole the money by submitting false invoices to the Children's Trust, which is funded largely by Miami-Dade taxpayers. The probation-only sentence was really a loss for prosecutors. This guy deserves far worse.

Will Lovett reform? Not if his Facebook page is any indication. A July 27 post read, "He that provides strength to the weak is restoring me daily. Devil it's back on!"

Guess you lost to the Devil, huh, Larrie?

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Chuck Strouse is the former editor in chief of Miami New Times. He has shared two Pulitzer Prizes and won dozens of other awards. He is an honors graduate of Brown University and has worked at newspapers including the Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times.

Contact: Chuck Strouse

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