A Piece of Courthouse Gossip

A reliable source tells the Pulp that prosecutor Howard Scheinberg is leaving the State Attorney's Office to join the law firm of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, which is helmed by Republican muckety-muck Scott Rothstein. This is intriguing for two reasons. One, I just wrote about Scheinberg's alleged ex parte communication with...

By Bob Norman

May 12, 2008

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A reliable source tells the Pulp that prosecutor Howard Scheinberg is leaving the State Attorney's Office to join the law firm of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, which is helmed by Republican muckety-muck Scott Rothstein.

This is intriguing for two reasons. One, I just wrote about Scheinberg's alleged ex parte communication with Judge Ana Gardiner during a murder trial two weeks ago. We can only speculate on why the veteran prosecutor might be leaving the job, but, if this holds true, it seems more than a coincidence.

Two, the Rothstein firm was recently in the headlines after lawyer Melissa Lewis, who had recently made partner at RRA, was murdered in Plantation. Charged in the murder was Tony Villegas, the estranged husband of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler employee and Lewis best friend Debra Villegas.

Prosecuting Tony Villegas for State Attorney Michael Satz is ... Howard Scheinberg. My, but this town gets curiouser and curiouser.

I haven't been able to confirm the move yet, so take this with a grain of salt. I asked SAO spokesoman Ron Ishoy if it was true and he sent me back an email that said, "I'll ask Howard when I see him."

When Ishoy brings the answer (supposing he actually bumps into Scheinberg), I'll update this post forthwith.

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Journalist Bob Norman has been raking the muck of South Florida for the past 25 years. His work has led to criminal cases against corrupt politicians, the ouster of bad judges from the bench, and has garnered dozens of state, regional, and national awards.

Contact: Bob Norman