Gilliams guilty on all 4 counts in Sebastian trial; Parris guilty on 3 counts, not guilty on 1 perjury charge
VERO BEACH — Two former Sebastian City Council members were found guilty Thursday of all but one of the eight Sunshine Law and perjury charges they faced.
Damien Gilliams was convicted on three counts of Sunshine Law violations and one count of perjury.
Pamela Parris was found guilty of one count of violating the state Sunshine Law and two counts of perjury. She was acquitted of one count of perjury.
Circuit Judge Michael Linn set bail for Gilliams at $225,000, and for Parris, $25,000.
It took the jury about three hours to reach its verdicts.
The charges stem from a scheduled April 22, 2020, Sebastian City Council meeting which was canceled by the city manager. The same night, Gilliams, Parris and Vice Mayor Charles Mauti held their own clandestine meeting in City Hall.
On his three Sunshine Law violations, the jury found Gilliams knew the City Council did not provide reasonable notice of the meeting and that he knowingly attended a meeting that was not open to the public at all times. His perjury conviction was for lying to investigators.
Parris’ conviction for violating the open-meetings law was on the same grounds; her two perjury convictions also were for lying to investigators.
The six-member jury waded through “a mountain of evidence” in reaching its verdicts, said Assistant State Attorney Lev Evans, who prosecuted the case with Chris Taylor. That effort “made the jury’s job easier when they had to make their decision,” he said.
Appeals are likely.
Parris’ defense attorney Philip Reizenstein said he was “greatly disappointed” by the verdict, and that she will appeal the convictions.
“I do not believe the perjury counts will be upheld on appeal,” said Reizenstein, “but I respect the decision of the jury.”
Thursday’s convictions are not the end of the story, yet there is little time to appeal since sentencing takes place in 26 days, Gilliams’ defense attorney Jeffrey Garland said. Like Evans, Garland credited jurors for their hard work during the trial.
“But I think it’s dangerous to be an environmentalist in the city of Sebastian,” added Garland.
Gilliams and Parris face both fines and jail time when they are sentenced June 21 by Linn.
Gilliams faces a maximum $1,500 in fines and up to 180 days in jail on the Sunshine Law convictions, and a maximum $1,000 fine, up to one year in jail and up to one year of probation for the perjury conviction.
For Parris, the maximum sentence for her Sunshine Law conviction is a $500 fine and 60 days in jail; for her two perjury convictions, she faces a maximum $2,000 in fines, up to two years in jail and up to two years probation.