Alleged cover-up, payments to witnesses to change stories in Seahawks’ Quinton Dunbar case
A witness oversaw four victims allegedly get paid in the office of Quinton Dunbar’s defense attorney to recant statements they had made to police that the Seahawks cornerback was involved in an armed robbery of them, the New York Daily News reports.
The remarkable exclusive Friday evening suggests the prosecution will now proceed with a trial in Florida that could keep Dunbar from playing for the Seahawks in 2020, or beyond.
The Daily News reported it obtained video evidence from closed-circuit television cameras plus social-media direct messages and cell-phone information.
That evidence, the Daily News reported, shows a cover-up and bribes to victims to change their stories they had given police that Dunbar and New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker robbed them.
The Daily News reported the four victims allegedly got paid $55,000 combined to change their stories May 15 in the office of Miami defense attorney Michael Grieco. That was two days after those victims had told a detective in the Miramar police department Dunbar and Baker robbed them of an $18,000 watch, $7,000 in cash and other valuables at a house party there May 13.
Grieco has told The News Tribune and a judge in a state court judge in Broward County, Fla., the victims “completely” recanting their statements in affidavits to him exonerates Dunbar and that should result in prosecutors dropping the case.
A witness described in a Miramar police report May 13 as “Coach” Dominic Johnson who is said to have known Dunbar and Baker since they were kids in Miami is the man the Daily News reports oversaw the alleged payments to the witnesses in Grieco’s office May 15. One witness allegedly received $30,000, with the lowest amount a witness allegedly $5,000.
“According to the warrant, CCTV video evidence shows Grieco, Johnson, an unknown individual, and the four alleged victims at the attorney’s office on May 15 appearing to make the payoff,” the Daily News reported.
State prosecutors in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., have been reviewing evidence since a bond hearing May 18. Those prosecutors are deciding whether to begin a trial for Dunbar on four felony charges of armed robbery, and on additional charges for Baker, in Florida’s 17th Circuit Court.
Skeptical prosecutor
Aaron Passy, assistant state attorney for Florida’s 17th judicial district, and fellow prosecutors have been skeptical from the start of the motives of those witnesses for changing their stories.
Passy said in court May 17 it is “suspect” that “the same four victims have now, within 48 hours ... have gone and recanted — and only in regards to Dunbar,” not Baker.
Passy wanted to know why the affidavits Grieco obtained were even part of Sunday’s bond hearing.
Passy told the judge, “Because, like counsel has said, the detective has yet confirm with these witnesses if they’ve recanted, why they’ve recanted. And this is all important information.
“This is just theoretical, but let’s say that, judge, these witnesses were receiving death threats,” the assistant state attorney told Judge Michael Davis of the 17th Circuit Court of Florida.
“Or let’s say, judge, that these witnesses were receiving offers or briberies.
“The detective has the right to go out and investigate why...within 36 hours in a case that has attracted some news coverage why they would recant—and recant only to one defendant, which is very interesting.”
Dunbar entered pleas of not guilty to all four charges May 17. He was released on $100,000 bond with the stipulation he stay in Florida while awaiting trial. Broward County court records show Friday morning his attorneys filed a request for the court’s permission for Dunbar to travel to Washington to participate in Seahawks training camp. That is to begin July 28. The defense team said this motion was unopposed by prosecutors.
As of Friday night court records did not show a ruling on that motion.
A few days after his release Dunbar rejoined the Seahawks’ virtual offseason training sessions online from Florida. He was on them through them ending late last month. Seattle acquired him from Washington in a trade this offseason, intending to have him compete with Tre Flowers for the starting job opposite Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
“He’s been very open with the discussions of what’s taken place, and the whole process going on,” coach Pete Carroll said of Dunbar June 11. ““I don’t have the details of where that is right now. We can’t comment on that, anyway.
“We have been very much connected with him and what is next and all of that.”
On June 30, Dunbar added Fort Lauderdale defense attorney Michael D. Weinstein to his defense team as co-counselor with Grieco still his lead lawyer. Weinstein told the TNT on Thursday this did not indicate Dunbar was headed to trial.
“No,” Weinstein said, “not even a little bit.”
The Daily News’ story and alleged evidence does.
Latest revelations
The Daily News’ Pat Leonard reported the warrant says Johnson’s direct messages on the social-media platform Instagram “corroborate a robbery had occurred and those who were charged were the participants.”
Leonard wrote the Daily News obtained the warrant as a public record from the Broward County Clerk of Courts, and that it “seeks access to iCloud accounts associated Baker and Dunbar.” The newspaper said the warrant cites evidence collected through previous warrants, including video footage and direct messages.
“...(A)ccording to the warrant, CCTV video evidence shows Grieco, Johnson, an unknown individual, and the four alleged victims at the attorney’s office on May 15 appearing to make the payoff,” the Daily News reported.
“In the video, Grieco is seen leaving his 24th floor office, taking the elevator to the lobby, and bringing Johnson and the four alleged victims back to his office at 2:26 p.m.
“Johnson eventually leaves the office and meets an unknown person in the lobby, according to the warrant. And then Johnson and the unknown person take the elevator up from the lobby at 2:34 p.m.
“During that elevator ride, the unknown person removes a “black bag” from his shoulders, “opens it and removes money.” The person also “shows the open bag to Johnson and you can see a large quantity of money. Johnson then takes the bag,” the warrant reads.
“Then everyone meets in front of Grieco’s office before going inside. By 3:15 p.m., everyone has left the building. And at approximately 4 p.m., (Miramar Police Detective Mark) Moretti says he received notification from Grieco indicating there had been a change in testimony from the victims and witness.”
Within a few hours, Grieco told The News Tribune and multiple other media outlets the case end because the victims “completely recanted” their stories and exonerated Dunbar.
Alleged ‘rushed with judgment’
Asked by the TNT on May 15 what Dunbar did at a house party to put himself in a position to be under an arrest warrant for four felonies, Grieco said: “He became an NFL player.”
“The real story is the Miramar police department rushed with judgment on two NFL players,” Grieco said.
He sharply criticized the police for announcing the arrest warrants on its official Twitter account after they were issued.
“I’ve never seen such low-class behavior from a police department,” Grieco, a former prosecutor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, told The News Tribune.
“The handling by the department...it’s amateur-hour.
“Now, they are digging in their heels” by insisting on carrying out the arrest warrant,” Grieco said.
The police got a judge in Broward County to issue that warrant. Dunbar turned himself in to authorities two days after it was issued. He was released from Broward County jail the next day on bond of $25,000 per each of the four felony charges.
“Moving forward, this entire situation has taught me how to not associate myself with environments that may mischaracterize my values and who I am,” Dunbar, 27, wrote on social-media after his release.
In the bond hearing the day of Dunbar’s release from jail, Grieco told Judge Davis: “There is no physical evidence. There is no corroborating evidence, beyond the initial five statements of these individuals, whatsoever.”
“The gathering we attended included 15 to 20 attendees, including DeAndre Baker and Quinton Dunbar,” Grieco read. “At some point between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. midnight there was an altercation among several individuals. The argument was related to a dice-gambling game.
“Any robbery or assault, with or without a firearm, did not involve Mr. Dunbar. Mr. Dunbar fled the home, and did not re-enter at any time. Mr. Dunbar did not directly, or indirectly, participate in any robbery or assist in collecting any valuables at the scene, or elsewhere.
“This was signed off on by all four victims and the witness, all of whom spoke with police.”
Grieco, as he did to The News Tribune and other media outlets, told the judge this was “a bogus case.”
Dunbar is charged with four counts of armed robbery with a firearm.
Section 812.13 of the 2019 Florida Statutes available online states, in part: “If in the course of committing the robbery the offender carried a firearm or other deadly weapon, then the robbery is a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment or as provided in (other statutory guidelines).”
Florida has a minimum-sentencing law that requires a sentence of at least 10 years in prison for anyone convicted of a felony while using or attempting to use a firearm.
If during the robbery the offender did not carry a weapon, Florida statutes consider that a second-degree felony.
This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 5:43 PM.
