Subject: Crime

• Little Shop of Horrors

  February 11, 1999

• P.I. Says Sgt. Chris Reyka Murder Case Is Solved

  September 30, 2008

• The Sheriff's Criminal Association

  October 15, 1998

• The FBI's Most Wanted Agent

  January 14, 1999

• A Great Lede Spoilt

  The New Year is going to be much like the Old Year on the Pulp -- I'll be faithfully grousing about local newspaper content. My first beef of 2009 is with the lead story in the local section of the Sun-Sentinel today. More specifically it is with the lede of that lead story. Rafael A. Olmeda and Juan Ortega, or one of them anyway, had one of those rare ideas for a perfect lede paragraph. It was for a bank robbery story where the dye pack exploded but the bandit got awa

  January 1, 2009

• Florida Home to Fresh-Squeezed... Handguns?

  A study published last month by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group lead by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says that not only do lax gun laws lead to more murders, higher crime rates, and more law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, guns from those states are used more often in out-of-state murders. And as you may have guessed (assuming you were not shot while reading the first paragraph), Florida is at the top of the list of states where the most "crime guns" originat

  January 6, 2009

• Morning Juice: Florida Schools Pass Third Grade, Union Wants Choking Principal to Stay Awake, Rival Gangs Stay in School

  Wake up, kids, you got a C!Florida Schools Just Good Enough to Advance to Next GradeFlorida has the tenth-best schools in the country, according to this study by Education Week. Now I'm no expert in cross-state rivalries, but I'd guess this might be the first time Florida has fallen behind Georgia and West Virginia in anything aside from per capita toothless smiles. I'm kidding, Georgia and West Virginia hillbillies, and the truth is, we've all got to be ecstatic about Florida's C-plus ranking i

  January 8, 2009

• Gimme Something Real

  August 7, 2003

• Clients of Industry

  Brazil's kidnapping epidemic spawns its own supply-and-demand economy

  October 4, 2007

• Anti-Semitic Schadenfreude in Palm Beach?

  Rabbi Michael Resnick of Palm Beach's biggest synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, told a national TV news magazine that Bernard Madoff's fraud case has been a catalyst for wealthy anti-Semites in South Florida's most exclusive Zip Code. Resnick's interview looks to be the centerpiece in tonight's edition of 20/20 (10 p.m. ET on WPLG, Channel 10). From the article that previews the telecast. While the Rabbi says Jews live comfortably in Palm Beach and everyone gets along, "I think in certain circles ther

  February 20, 2009

• The Infamous Holland Correction

  Okay, I say a couple nice things about departed Sun-Sentinel reporter John Holland and the knives start flying. The Holland haters bring up an eight-year-old correction which one commenter calls "the longest and most embarrassing front-page retraction in the Sun-Sentinel's history." I remember that correction and I remember all the whispering about it and I remember all the hand-wringing and consternation. But mostly I remember thinking: The Sun-Sentinel is a gutless wonder. Here is the correct

  March 13, 2009

• Sen. Nan Rich Defends Bestiality Bill

  Of all the thorny, polarizing, and controversial subjects that a state legislator must handle, Sen. Nan Rich probably didn't think she'd have to explain the logic behind a bill that makes bestiality illegal. And to be fair, she doesn't have to explain it to anyone -- everybody else, it seems, gets it -- except me.Last week, I consulted with some leading experts in the field of zoophilia -- sexual attraction to animals. Drs. Hani Miletski and Andrea Beetz had both found that "zoos" have genuine a

  March 27, 2009

• Feds Launch Surprise Seizure on Unsuspecting Madoff Yacht

  A reenactment of U.S. Marshals taking control of Madoff's yacht.Federal authorities seized Bernie Madoff's yacht in Fort Lauderdale yesterday and then took control of the home his wife owns in Palm Beach. U.S. marshals described "using an element of surprise" to grab Madoff's property, but if you're a Madoff investor, you might describe it as coming, oh, like six months too late.It was, after all, federal authorities who had investigated Madoff back in the '90s and found nothing wrong with his i

  April 2, 2009

• R. Allen Stanford's story tells how one eccentric billionaire can help bring the global economy to its knees

  April 9, 2009

• Madoff's Man

  Fort Lauderdale multimillionaire Michael Bienes never cut ties with Bernie Madoff — even after the SEC shut him down.

  January 22, 2009

• Blood Diamonds

  Violent South American thieves are stealing millions in precious gems ... and getting away with it

  August 28, 2008

• Just Say Uncle

  The DEA's "Twin Oceans" hooked a big fish, but can they reel it in?

  February 21, 2008

• Muscles, Murder, and a Messiah, Part 2

  Gil Fernandez Jr. could be responsible for as many as nine murders. If he's truly repentant, his former prosecutor says, he needs to confess his sins.

  January 12, 2006

• Wingin' It

  Fledgling Guardian Angels get the call from gang-riddled Lake Worth

  August 2, 2007

• Gambino Genes

  What's in a Mafia name?

  May 10, 2007

• Ten Seconds to Eternity

  Can Jack Bauer escape certain death from an oncoming tanker?

  March 8, 2007

• Not in My Bus Stop

  The new fad cities can't seem to resist — keeping sex offenders out of every nook and cranny.

  November 30, 2006

• Mayor Al's Shady Pal

  When you're a politician helping out a felon, it's better not to ask questions.

  July 6, 2006

• Bangin' in L-Dub

  A half mile from Lake Worth's trendy eateries, a war is under way. With guns and cyber-graffiti.

  April 27, 2006

• The Bad Bet

  November 10, 2005

• Street Fighters

  November 10, 2005

• He Dunnit (No, He Dunnit!)

  Michael Ray Roberts has avoided serious prison time by ratting out his partners. So far.

  October 20, 2005

• An' Jushtiss f'r All!

  The Luckiest Perps

  September 8, 2005

• Finding Gary, Part 2

  A rogue FBI agent, tons of smuggled drugs, a wife in search of her husband's corpse

  August 11, 2005

• Swimming with the Fishes

  Jenne goes after the, um, Mafia. Question is, who's the bad guy?

  April 14, 2005

• To Re-Catch a Thief

  December 2, 2004

• Knotty Head Bandits

  In the bank robbing business, these guys are the best. They're also the most wanted.

  November 11, 2004

• Sex Tourism

  September 16, 2004

• The Snitch

  Meet John Mamone -- devoted father, Mafia soldier, government witness

  March 25, 2004

• One-Way Street

  Popped for DUI? Smile. You've just fallen victim to the DHSMV's kangaroo court.

  January 29, 2004

• The Matrix: Unloaded

  Hank Asher's just the guy to set up a futuristic terrorist-tracking system, but the cops don't trust him

  September 11, 2003

• Tagged

  Art or Vandalism? Either way, for graffiti artists, it's all about getting your name out there.

  December 12, 2002

• Pulp Nonfiction, Act 2

  A good, upstanding American family gets mixed up with the mob

  May 30, 2002

• The Widow and the Nurse, Part Two

  When Bridget Garcia told police that her boss' son had raped her, they barely listened. This is her story.

  August 31, 2000

• The Unforgiven

  Bryant Troville served out his sentence for his sexually violent acts. His prospects for freedom? Not good.

  May 4, 2000

• The Fast Life and Near Death of Nica

  Revered by followers, feared by rivals, and targeted by police, the gang leader known as Nica is alive today because of a brush with death

  April 20, 2000

• Fight Club

  Chris Paciello, the dangerous darling of the South Florida nightlife set, has a reputation for fisticuffs. And Mob ties.

  December 23, 1999

• Lobbying Under the Influence

  There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks before you drive. So says David Heilman, Mr. Anti-DUI.

  September 23, 1999

• Blue in the Face

  Mickey Blue Eyes

  August 19, 1999

• The Finger That Robbed 7-Eleven

  Flickr User: sm4rtusSeveral suspects in the robberyBroward Sheriff's Office detectives are searching South Florida for the human being who belongs to the finger who robbed a 7-Eleven in Pompano Beach. The BSO release does not say exactly what, if anything, was on the tip of that finger that made it so menacing as to cause cashiers to empty their registers. But see if you can solve the mystery by watching the video. Here's the news release:He might have thought he was clever to pull of a robbery

  July 21, 2009

• Color Bind: Are Police Looking for Johnny Cash?

  flickr.com Johnny Cash: Dressed in Black We've written about the local media's awkward refusal to mention the race of violent, uncaptured suspects in police stories a few times. (Here and here.) It's odd that a newspaper would inform its readers how violent an individual might be and mention what that individual may have been wearing (past tense) but not even begin to describe skin color. No, race isn't important in general. But yes, skin color can be somewhat helpful in describing w

  July 22, 2009

• Robbers, Beware: South Florida Convenience Store Workers Pack Heat

  August 6, 2009

• Green is Color of the Summer for Local Criminals

  Boca bank robber goes for the green​Green may be the new buzzword in political and development circles. But green is also the new black for South Florida criminals when it comes to sartorial choices this summer. Fashion-forward scammers are tossing those dowdy stocking masks and dark T-shirts in favor of emerald baseball caps, grass-green getaway cars, and clothes more relevant to St. Patty's Day than a criminal caper. Take the Boca Bank robber who held up a SunTrust on Monday and another Sun

  August 27, 2009

• Stabbing Suspect Caught

  A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with the murder of Edris Berry in the early-morning hours of Wednesday at a Shell Gas station in Pompano Beach. The news release from Broward Sheriff's Office:The victim, 33-year-old Edris Berry, was at the gas station at around 1:50 a.m. when two young women pulled in to purchase gas. Berry approached the women and began to have a casual conversation with the ladies, which seemed to enrage a bystander, 26-year-old Wallace Salters, for unknown reas

  September 3, 2009

• Bike-Riding, Guilt-Ridden Rape Suspect Makes Easy Target for Broward Deputies

  Eduardo Josue Ortizromero, an 18-year-old suspected of raping two women, aged 18 and 25, has been arrested by Broward Sheriff's Office deputies in Dania Beach. Judging by the news release, he made it easy for cops and prosecutors -- riding the bike associated with one rape and then giving a quick confession. A Broward Sheriff's Office Sex Crimes Unit detective canvassing a Dania Beach neighborhood for a rapist spotted the suspect and took him into custody this past Thursday night. On the eveni

  September 14, 2009