I am hearing new information regarding Broward Sheriff's Lt. Rick Reilly, and it's not good.
I won't get into details, but suffice it to say that Reilly's late wife, attorney Caryl Boies, may have a lot in common with Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of onetime presidential contender John Edwards who also died with cancer. Boies, it should be said, also retains, like Elizabeth Edwards, a sterling reputation.
Reilly filed for divorce from Boies in October, late in her long battle against the disease. In the divorce, he was contesting his share of the couple's marital assets and wanted his wife to pay his legal bills. Caryl Boies' estate is valued at $13 million.
Now there is speculation surfacing that Reilly got his much-coveted job in Sheriff Al Lamberti's command staff at least partly as a result of big campaign contributions given to him by his wife and her prominent family, including her famed father, attorney David Boies, who was the face -- and voice -- of 2000 presidential contender Al Gore in the recount.
It is true that the Boies family came out in a big way for Lamberti in 2008 when he beat Scott Israel to retain his office. Sources say Reilly and Boies threw a major fundraiser at their Rio Vista home for Lamberti. Campaign records show that the Boies family gave no less than $5,000 to Lamberti's campaign, with maximum $500 contributions from at least nine family members and a real estate holding company. It made the family one of Lamberti's largest contributors and raisers of funds.
Lamberti elevated Reilly to the position of lieutenant colonel in January 2010 to oversee the entire Investigative Services Bureau. Reilly is fourth in command at BSO, according to the website.
But the speculation will remain just that, as it's unprovable. It's also important to note that Reilly apparently has a strong work record and was initially promoted to captain by former Sheriff Ken Jenne in 2003, the same year he married Boies. There appears to have been no campaign contributions tied to that.
Anyone, however, who says that politics -- especially money politics -- doesn't play into decisions made by the sheriff is full of it. And I'm not just talking about Lamberti. That applies to his predecessor (in spades) and all the predecessors before that.
Inside, we pinpoint where Shaq dissed Miami Heat President Pat Riley during last night's Late Show With David Letterman.
Here's the video:
You have to forward it with your cursor to about the 6:10 mark. That's where David Letterman mentions names of basketball people to get Shaq's reaction. The first name he mentions is Riley. Shaq, who helped the Heat to a championship season, greets the name with stony silence before he takes a drink of water and stares off into space. "Should I go onto the next one?"
"Yes," says Shaq to applause.
The next name was Phil Jackson. Shaq applauded him.
For some reason, I don't think Riley is going to lose any sleep over the slight.