Husani brought Nardelli, DVA execs together

Before news got out that Neil Mohamed Husani used incorrect information to get several multimillion-dollar loans from area banks, he was a go-to guy for people who needed financing for their real estate investment deals.

Take DVA Sports, for example.

When the company ran out of money needed to complete construction of its $70 million arena at Lakewood Ranch last summer, top executives sought out Husani and he agreed to meet them at Café Epicure in downtown Sarasota. But instead of volunteering to help, Husani introduced DVA executives to Larry Nardelli, whom he described as a friend in the mortgage business.

Soon afterwards, DVA executives announced that Nardelli's Tuscany Holdings Group LLC would contribute enough cash to resume construction of the 7,500-seat arena.

Nardelli never delivered, and it came to light that he had been successfully sued at least 12 times between November 1999 and February 2005 for nonpayment of debts in Hillsborough County. The judgments totaled more than $300,000.

-- Michael Braga

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