LOCAL

BlueWare CEO guilty in Needelman corruption trial

John McCarthy
Florida Today
Longtime Brevard County politician Mitch Needelman was convicted of corruption in 2017.

The CEO of a Melbourne company at the center of the Mitch Needelman corruption case has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery and bid tampering.  

She was found not guilty of committing bribery. 

Rose Harr faces up to 30 years in prison. 

At the heart of the state’s case were allegations that in 2012 Needelman awarded contracts to Harr's company, BlueWare Inc., in exchange for campaign contributions, most notably an $8.52 million contract to scan old court documents stored in a converted junior high school gym.

Blueware CEO Rose Harr during her bribery trial in Sanford.

At the time, Needelman was in a heated campaign battle with Scott Ellis, who had preceded him as clerk before retiring in 2010. Ellis defeated Needelman in the GOP primary election and went on to win the general election in November 2012. He was re-elected in 2016.

Needelman was found guilty of similar charges last October. He faced up to 40 years in prison. But before sentencing, Judge Marlene Alva vacated the conviction and ordered a new trial based on jury misconduct. 

No date has been set for his new trial.

William Dupree, 47, a former business partner of Mitch Needelman, was arrested on charges of bid tampering and bribery. (Booking photo)

A third co-defendant, William Matthew Dupree, pleaded guilty to single charge of bribery in the case in February. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bid tampering and unlawful campaign contributions.

Prosecutors alleged that Dupree acted as a conduit between BlueWare and Needelman.

Dupree was sentenced to 26 months in state prison.

Harr was taken into custody. Sentencing is expected in about 30 days.

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