Posted on 02/10/2016 12:47:42 PM PST by drewh
A Washington Post story last month revealing that Marco Rubio had been arrested after hours in a Brickell Park in 1990 quickly sparked far slimier allegations in the conservative Twittersphere: Namely, that the 18-year-old Rubio had actually been cruising for gay sex in the park with a good friend who later ran a notorious gay porn site.
New Times ran down those rumors and found that, indeed, Rubio's childhood pal — a man named Angel Barrios — went on to become entangled in Miami's most notorious gay smut legal case. But that's where the rumor mongering and fact separated; there was zero proof that Rubio and Barrios were gay cruising in Brickell, and Barrios insisted that both men are straight. What's more, Barrios said his ties to that gay porn case were minimal: He simply rented a house to the site, called CocoDorm.com, without knowing what they were up to.
Now, New Times has spoken to the man who actually ran that website. And he backs up Rubio's buddy's claims. He says Barrios had nothing to do with the gay porn business and was merely a landlord who accidentally ended up in the middle of a precedent-setting porn lawsuit.
"I never actually even met Angel," says Phillip Bleicher, the owner of CocoDorm.com. "I feel sorry for him and his family that he's getting dragged through all this. He was just a landlord."
RELATED STORIES Marco Rubio's Childhood Friend Tied to Miami's Most Infamous Gay Porn Case Barrios and Rubio were childhood friends from West Miami, whose connection suddenly made national news when the Post dug up the 1990 incident in Alice C. Wainwright Park. Rubio's campaign says the friends were drinking beers after hours in the park — which was notorious at the time for sex and drugs. The pair later lived together in Gainesville, but Barrios says they lost touch after Rubio began his rapid political ascent.
Around 2006, Barrios rented a house his father owned in Edgewater to Bleicher's company, Flava Works. Bleicher says he never told Barrios exactly what he planned to do inside the two-story brick home: namely, invite young black and Latino male models to live inside and have sex in front of livestreamingweb cams.
"He had no knowledge of CocoDorm's operations," Bleicher says.
An ad for CocoDorm, which ended up in a legal fight. An ad for CocoDorm, which ended up in a legal fight. via Miami-Dade Court filings That is, until 2007 when a TV investigative crew broadcast a piece about the house and the City of Miami swooped in to try to shut it down. That's when Bleicher filed a federal lawsuit against the city and recruited Barrios as a co-defendant. But Bleicher says he paid all of Barrios' legal fees and that Rubio's friend only got involved in the suit to try to quash mounting fines from the city.
"Some of these GOP websites are saying Barrios was the owner of CocoDorm, and that he's fighting the city for the right to run it. No. We were the ones fighting. We paid the attorneys fees," Bleicher says.
By the next year, CocoDorm had moved out of Barrios' Edgewater house and into a Wynwood warehouse. After years of back-and-forth legal battles, Bleicher says the city agreed to let Cocodorm operate in mixed-use business districts and both sides paid their own attorney fees. Cocodorm kept broadcasting its sex orgies out of Wynwood until they lost their space last year; the site is looking for a new home in Miami at the moment.
In the meantime, Bleicher has marveled at how his legal case has suddenly become presidential campaign fodder. Search Twitter today and you'll still find dozens of Donald Trump supporters tweeting about how the case proves Marco is a closeted gay porn freak, despite all evidence to the contrary.
"It's just one of those six degrees of separation things, I guess, but it's very funny how this has played out," Bleicher says.
He does have a message for Rubio himself: "I'm happy to offer him a free CocoDorm membership," Bleicher says. "We'd love to have him as a customer."
I'm pretty sure the story is that he was drinking beer in the park with his buddies one night.
Not that I condone underage drinking, and not that I condone trespassing in a public park after operating hours... but it hardly disqualifies the man for running from President.
If that's the standard we set on boyhood misdeeds, then 40 years later I shouldn't even be allowed out of the house without one of those ankle bracelets to track my every move.
The other problem was Rubio supposedly said he met his wife at a Miami foam party, and in Miami foam parties tended to be gay club things. Not saying he couldn’t have wandered into one, like Al Bundy wandering into a gay bar because the music had a good beat, but....
Don’t know about Miami, but “New Times” are usually alternative local papers.
Gumdrop - I wasn’t referring to Rubio, but to his friend. I have no idea whether or not Rubio is gay. I have seen photos of him at foam parties, so, take that for what it’s worth. He could be bisexual for all I know or care. I would never vote for him - because he isn’t ready for prime time. Too bad you have to jump to conclusions about what I wrote. Sorry also that you are supporting an amnesy loving kid who wants to further destroy our country with illegals.
I cannot make 'heads or tails' out of what was in the article.... I was left wondering what is the point?
But it is. 0 is a Dem. Resume builder.
See my #30. They're not gay dancers. It's Marco Rubio dancing in a high school talent competition with his football teammates.
That "Cobra" sign you see in the background? That's the mascot of South Miami High School.
I have no idea how I became the defender of Marco Rubio. I don't even support him. But this treatment is grossly unfair.
Armand Goldman of 'the Birdcage'?
Coffee, keyboard etc.....
Well, at least he never drowned anyone.
Not supporting Rubio, but am glad this ugly story has been explained. The way the rumors started still smells of an opposition smear job by somebodys campaign, probably Jebs.
No wonder they have left Marco hanging
Thanks for the link
Seems some posters have taken up the democrat / Marxist slogan: The ends justify the means...
I wonder who is paying them...?
That type of campaign smear / dirt smells like a democrat operative...
Well that seems odd, since they attended the same exact high school at the exact same time.
You'd think he'd have run into her in the hall or lunchroom or had a class with her or something.
It would also seem odd that a Miami Dolphins cheerleader would be hanging out at a gay foam party.
But hell, at this point, I'm giving up.
That is disturbing.
Well there is enough to turn you away from Rubio without the GA angle. Or the unproven mistress stuff.
Well there is enough to turn you away from Rubio without the GA angle. Or the unproven mistress stuff.
Same here. They really must be scraping for ANYTHING on Rubio.
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