Frank Biden, the younger brother of presidential candidate Joe Biden, has dodged the family of a Florida man who was killed in a hit-and-run.
Biden, 66, owes the family of Michael Albano more than $1 million for his role in a high-speed collision that killed Albano as he was walking to go pick up his daughter in 1999, according to court records obtained by the Daily Mail.
The younger Biden, who was 43 at the time, was riding in the passenger seat of a high-powered Jaguar he had rented when he told the driver to “punch it” and shifted the car into manual. The driver, 25-year-old Jason Turton, had just met Biden when he was working at Whole Foods.
Turton claimed that Biden was trying to impress him. The two grabbed a few drinks before driving to Turton’s house and picking up three others. The five took off in the Jaguar around 11:15 p.m. with Turton driving even though his blood-alcohol level at the time was 0.18, more than double the legal limit.
The group was driving down the street in excess of 80 mph when they struck and killed Albano as he crossed the street. The speed limit on the road was 35 mph. Witnesses to the crash claimed to hear Biden say “keep driving” after Albano was hit.
Biden remained at the scene with the car, but Turton took off on foot. Turton claimed someone advised him to flee the scene. He was later apprehended and tested when authorities realized he was intoxicated during the incident.
Authorities found that both Turton and Albano, who didn’t use a crosswalk at the time, were partially responsible for the horrific incident. Biden was not included in the criminal portion of the case.
Albano, who was 38, coached the soccer team of his two daughters, Lorraina and Nicole, who were 17 and 16, respectively, at the time of his death. He was a single father who took full custody of his daughters when they were 3 and 4 years old because their mother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The two girls were placed in the custody of Albano’s parents, who filed several civil lawsuits to try to recover costs from the expensive funeral and child care they were left with when their son was killed. In their first lawsuit, they claimed that Budget Rent a Car was partially liable because Biden had rented the vehicle.
The Albanos argued that Budget was negligent because it continued to allow Biden to rent cars despite his “past history of mental health problems and / or drug and alcohol abuse and past driving record.” Budget settled with the family for an undisclosed amount.
The family then sued Biden. He refused to participate throughout the legal process and even dodged private investigators by moving to California. When he fled to California from Florida, Biden left behind a pile of unpaid utility and phone bills, along with two defaulted bank loans.
Biden didn’t participate in the lawsuit, and a judge ruled in 2002 that he owed each of Albano’s daughters $275,000 with a penalty of 10% interest for every unpaid year. He never paid the girls any amount.
Albano’s daughters hoped that they could reach out to Joe Biden, who was a senator at the time, to get payment from his brother. In 2003, they wrote a letter to his Senate office but never received a response. They tried again in 2008 when Joe Biden was running to be vice president.
Joe Biden’s Senate chief of staff, Luis Navarro, responded but claimed that Frank Biden had no money to pay the girls back. Navarro wrote: “The senator would certainly encourage his brother to pay the judgment if his personal financial circumstances made that at all possible. As you are aware, however, Frank has no assets with which to satisfy the judgment. The senator regrets that this is where matters stand and that he cannot be more helpful.”
The Albanos continue to pursue payment from Frank Biden, although the total amount was cut in half after the sisters failed to renew the default judgment. The two still have a private investigator trying to get Frank Biden to pay, but the investigator said he had “ignored” them after being personally served.
It isn’t clear where Frank Biden stands financially, but he has described himself as a development officer for a chain of for-profit charter schools, where he identified himself as the “the brother of Vice President Joe Biden.” He also appeared in several commercials for a Florida law firm.
Additionally, his partner, Melinda Ward, a 47-year-old flight attendant, was spotted driving a $40,000 Range Rover near their home earlier this year.
The Daily Mail reached out to Frank Biden about the Albanos’ claims. He told one reporter on the phone, “I have no interest in speaking to you whatsoever.” Another reporter was told Frank Biden had no comment “at this time” about the payments. When Ward was asked about the situation, she directed reporters to Joe Biden’s campaign.
Beyond the incident with Albano, Frank Biden was arrested for a DUI in August 2003. He was also arrested in October 2003 for petty theft after a Blockbuster in Pompano Beach called law enforcement after witnessing him stuff a video down his pants and attempt to leave.
Frank Biden’s use of his family name to secure business contracts has been widely criticized in the context of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, who landed a high-paying spot on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas firm while his father was leading diplomatic efforts in the region.
