17 Facts About Arthur Teele

Arthur Teele was a law student who went into the military after his graduation.

Arthur Teele served the US Army as a Judge Advocate General on the personal staff of General Henry Emerson, Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg from July 1975 to June 1977.

Arthur Teele earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law.

Arthur Teele met with the attorneys for the Wilmington Ten as well as attorneys and administrative staff of North Carolina Attorney General Rufus Edmisten.

In Europe, Arthur Teele consulted with Interpol on investigations into organized crime and international homicide cases.

Arthur Teele served as UMTA Administrator from April 1981 to June 1983.

In March 1993, Arthur Teele was elected Miami-Dade County Commissioner in Miami, Florida, serving as the Commission's chairman.

Arthur Teele resigned from the county commission in 1996, to run for mayor of Miami-Dade County.

Arthur Teele was one of the top two candidates to emerge from the general election, but he was narrowly defeated in a runoff by Alex Penelas.

On July 27,2005, Arthur Teele walked into the Miami Herald building and shot himself fatally in the head.

At the time of his death, Arthur Teele was a popular politician with a loyal following in Miami-Dade.

Arthur Teele's conviction stemmed from an incident with a Miami-Dade County detective who had been conducting surveillance as part of a corruption probe.

That probe had resulted in Arthur Teele being charged with ten felony counts of unlawful compensation, with trial set for October 2005.

Arthur Teele was under federal indictment for money laundering, mail fraud and wire fraud for allegedly helping a minority company win more than $20 million worth of electrical contracts at Miami International Airport for work that was actually undertaken by a larger non-minority company.

Arthur Teele faced a possible 20 years in prison if convicted of the federal charges, but an examination of his personal financial records after his death revealed that Arthur Teele was not a rich man and was actually in debt for half a million dollars.

Shortly before he shot himself, Arthur Teele called Miami Herald columnist Jim DeFede, who taped their conversation.

The court allowed the appeal by a deceased individual on the basis that Arthur Teele's conviction precluded his wife from making a valid claim for death benefits under the City of Miami's pension plan and other merits of his case.