Investigations

Waffle House Meeting May Be Key to Fatal I-95 Shooting

Police are investigating the role an Oakland Park Waffle House played in the fatal shooting of Nicholas Romondo Walker that occurred on I-95. According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, around 6:40 a.m. Sunday, drivers called 911 to report shots fired on the highway. BSO deputies found a silver Buic ... More >>

Rick Ross: Were the Gangster Disciples Involved in the Shooting?

The information swirling around about the Rick Ross shooting right now is fat on rumor, light on facts. But among the speculation passing from mouth to mouth is that the gunfire directed at the rap mogul was connected to his well-publicized beef with the Gangster Disciples, a Chicago-based gangbange ... More >>

Scott Israel Suspends Cops Tied to Scott Rothstein

Newly minted Broward Sheriff Scott Israel isn't screwing around. First he gets into office and starts firing people willy-nilly, and now this. Israel has suspended Broward Sheriff's Officers Lt. Dave Benjamin and Det. Jeff Poole. The reason for the suspensions: The Scott Rothstein effect.

Scott Israel (Campaigning?) Calls for Investigation of Decade-Old BSO Hogtieing Death

The motto of the Broward Sheriff's Office could be "if it's uncomfortable, don't talk about it." The death of an inmate by suicide, with plenty of warning signs, in a Broward jail? Silence. The federal investigation into Lt. David Benjamin, who ferried Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein to his getaw ... More >>

Red Sox Fan Who Robbed Boca Raton Bank in Custody, According to FBI

Myles Dowling of Newton Massachusetts was arrested for robbing a PNC Bank in Boca Raton last week, according to an FBI criminal complaint filed in federal court. The complaint says Dowling demanded money from the tellers using a black revolver handgun, and then took off in a four-door 2000 Honda Ci ... More >>

DEP Brass Jeff Littlejohn's Parents Own Lobbying Firm With Questionable Clientele

See also "DEP Getting Weaker Under Rick Scott" and "EPA Wants to Know if Herschel Vinyard Lied on His Resume"The number-two man at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the son of lobbyists who represent clients with huge environmental stakes in Florida.Jeff Littlejohn, deputy secret ... More >>

South Florida Cops Getting Arrested All Over the Damned Place

Broward Sheriff's Office Lt. Eric Wright turned himself in on Friday on charges of fraud and 14 counts of grand theft after he was accused of working side jobs while he was technically on duty as a supervisor at least ten times between August 2010 and May 2011.In addition to working only fractions o ... More >>

Class at Broward College Reportedly Interrupted by Child Porn (Updated)

UPDATE, 3:26 p.m.: Received a statement from Broward College. Modified the post accordingly.A developing story from Gossip Extra: Apparently, a police leadership class at Broward College's central campus was dismissed early today after "what appeared to be child porn popped up on the instructor's co ... More >>

The World's Coral Reefs Are Being Decimated, All for a Few Gaudy Trinkets

The Accusations Against Boynton Beach Mayor Jose Rodriguez

​We made a brief post last night announcing the arrest of Boynton Beach Mayor Jose Rodriguez on three criminal charges -- including one felony -- and now that we've had a chance to check out the probable-cause affidavit, we'll let you know what happened.According to the report from the Palm Beach ... More >>

Boynton Beach Mayor Jose Angel Rodriguez Arrested on Corruption Charges

​Boynton Beach Mayor Jose Angel Rodriguez was arrested today on three charges -- one of them a felony -- alleging he used his power as mayor to prevent authorities from investigating an abuse incident he was allegedly involved in."The probable-cause affidavit states and alleges that Boynton Beach ... More >>

Fort Lauderdale Cop Arrested, Allegedly Delivered Pills Across the Street From New Times Office

Broward Sheriff's OfficeKevin Pisano​Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Kevin Pisano was arrested at 11:20 p.m. yesterday after allegedly delivering prescription pills -- while in his police uniform, sitting in his marked police car -- to a confidential informant across the street from the New Times o ... More >>

Broward Teachers Union President Under Investigation; Board Members Split on Action

Broward Teachers UnionPat Santeramo​Pat Santeramo, president of the Broward Teacher's Union, is currently under investigation by the Broward State Attorney's Office and the Broward Sheriff's Office, according to a spokesman from the State Attorney's Office.Additionally, a spokesman from the Browar ... More >>

Former Broward Traffic Director a "Person of Interest" in FBI Investigation

broward.orgJihad El Eid (left) is currently a "person of interest" in an FBI investigation.​Public employees in Amarillo, Texas, have been wondering why the name of their new traffic engineer, Jihad El Eid, is being brought up in relation to the FBI raid on Southeast Underground Utilities in Plant ... More >>

Harry Sargeant III Under DOJ Investigation for Alleged Bribes to Jordanian Government

democraticunderground.comHarry Sargeant III (center) in between his buddies Charlie Crist (left) and Jordan's King Abdullah II. (right)​Harry Sargeant III -- the energy mogul, Delray Beach billionaire, and former Florida Republican Party finance chairman -- is under investigation by the Department ... More >>

Hollywood City Manager, Under Investigation by Feds, Bails Before He Can be Fired

townmapsusa.com​Hollywood City Manager Cameron Benson didn't want last night's commission meeting to be his political funeral, so he made the decision to quit during a meeting recess.Benson was taking a lot of heat from Mayor Peter Bober for a few things yesterday -- a $10.3 million budget defici ... More >>

No Budget For Sadism: Arthur G. Dozier Boys' School To Close

The White House BoysThe White House at the Dozier School​There probably are no real ghosts in this world, but some places are haunted anyway. One of them is the Arthur G. Dozier School For Boys, which has existed for a century just outside of a greasy mosquito-cloud of a town called Marianna, in a ... More >>

Hollywood Faces Budget Crisis Surprise; City Manager Hit with Corruption Investigation

The Miami HeraldCameron Benson​Cameron Benson has worked for the City of Hollywood since 1995 and as city manager since 2002. Historically, he has shunned attention -- newspapers are still referencing interviews he gave in 1995 -- despite periodic allegations of questionable behavior.He's known ar ... More >>

Mayoral Candidate Wasn't Subject of Criminal Investigation, as Newspaper Claimed

Joe Angelo isn't a criminal.​Joe Angelo lost his race for the mayorship of Wilton Manors on Tuesday against incumbent Gary Reznick. His loss was due, at least in part, to a series of editorials in the Island City News by publisher Steve Kelley. The articles claimed Angelo was able to "elude prosec ... More >>

The Joke's on Him: Wilton Manors Police Chief Loses College Teaching Gig for Racist Email Humor

Photo: WMPDCan Perez hold on to his job as police chief?​Richard Perez apparently thinks offensive racial stereotypes are hi-larious, but he's not laughing as hard lately since the South Florida Times revealed a series of racially offensive emails that were circulated by the Wilton Manors Police C ... More >>

[UPDATED] Fort Lauderdale Detective to Be Fired for Trying to Mislead Investigators About Relationship With Informant

FlickrMaldonado's Internal Affairs file contains allegations that he had sex with known prostitutes.​During his eight years as a Fort Lauderdale cop, Jason Maldonado has had several episodes that could have cost him his career. It now appears Maldonado's luck is running out. A reliable source indi ... More >>

Suspicion Cast on Judge Skolnik's Accuser; Webmaster Now Under Criminal Investigation

Flickr: Brooks ElliottFort Lauderdale police are looking closely at the Skolnik campaign's dustup with a web designer; was it really about money?​For a man who claims to be a victim, Stephen Smith has behaved very strangely. The webmaster seized the domains of Broward Circuit Court Judge Peter Sko ... More >>

Morning Juice: In Economic Freeze, Cold Cases Get Colder; Teacher Paychecks Get Slimmer

​Tuesday's local headlines:Art and physical education teachers at roughly a dozen Broward County schools have been asked to accept a paycheck half the size of the one they get now. It's the latest, desperate effort by school administrators to balance the district's budget. [Sun-Sentinel]Another ca ... More >>

Morning Juice: Josie Lou Ratley Shows Movement; Broward Commissioner Blames Health for Political Retirement

​Here's what's happening in South Florida news this Monday morning:Scott Rothstein is said to have hired Mafia associates on the pretext of needing their help shredding documents that could damage the investigation into his Ponzi scheme, but while they took the money, the mobsters never destroyed ... More >>

Mahoney Baloney: Boynton Murders Were Religious Persecution

Mahoney: Fulla baloney​Guess the Christian Defense Coalition hasn't been reading the Juice lately.If they had, they would have figured out that the fatal shooting of Tite Sufra and Stephen Ocean in Boynton Beach on January 30 probably had exactly nothing to do with the fact that they were evangeli ... More >>

Police Raid Platinum Showgirls in Boynton

For four months, the Boynton Beach Police Department has been investigating the Platinum Showgirls strip club on North Federal Highway, and tonight they swooped in. According to a just-issued department release, some 50 police officers have swarmed the club in what spokeswoman Stephanie Slater is ca ... More >>

Man From Broward Found Dead in Tampa Bay Area

A 49-year-old man named Scott Michael Barry, whose last known residence was in Broward County, was identified yesterday as the man found dead this weekend in a Pasco County lake. From the St. Petersburg Times: Neighbors along Wagon Wheel Lane found the body floating face down in the lake Saturday mo ... More >>

Peace, Love, and Terror

The Weather Underground talked of peace, but FBI agents say members also planned a cop killing.

Fort Lauderdale Police Investigating Possible Suicide on Beach

Flickr user: paul79uf​Fort Lauderdale police are investigating a possible suicide on the beach near Sunrise Boulevard and A1A this morning. Details are extremely scarce at this point, but here's what Sgt. Patrick Hart says they know:Police got a call reporting that a person had been found on the b ... More >>

Ferguson to Be Investigated for Ethics No-No

A law firm retained by Deerfield Beach to evaluate reports of ethics violations has opened an investigation into the conduct of the city's vice mayor, Sylvia Ferguson -- formerly Sylvia Poitier. But the same firm dismissed three other ethics complaints against Ferguson, saying they failed the "prima ... More >>

Former Attorneys for Hospital District Now Under Criminal Investigation

Marc Goldstone and Joe Truhe, formerly the two lead attorneys for the North Broward Hospital District, are being investigated for possible criminal charges of practicing law without a license, according to a source with knowledge of the case.The attorneys were fired in mid-May amid allegations by th ... More >>

Vice Mayor on Hit List for Deerfield Beach Hit Man

deerfield-beach.comSylvia PoitierSylvia Poitier should have known she was being watched. If not by criminal investigators, then at least by the guy in Deerfield Beach who tends to show them the way. "Mark this day -- mark this day well" is the characteristically immodest headline for yesterday's blo ... More >>

More Turbulence for Lauderdale Flight School

The Federal Aviation Administration has been investigating Gulfstream International Airlines in Fort Lauderdale ever since operator error was blamed for the February 12 crash of a flight bound for Buffalo, N.Y. The regional operator has come under fire for allegedly falsifying flight logs and lettin ... More >>

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 ... More >>

Dueling Detectives: Private dick Dan Riemer says he solved the murder of Broward County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Chris Reyka — no thanks to the Sheriff's Department detectives

The Mayor's Private Dick

Al Capellini takes the Nixon route against his rival on the commission

I’ve Been Shot Down Before,

But never like this

The Sentinel's Mayor Al Redux

Four Years Later, DJ's Death Still Unsolved

How´s Your Slime IQ?

Take the Broward Corruption Quiz

Alleged Hollywood Leaker Arrested

Does Todd Wilder Know Something We Don't?

Jim Moran, Tax Cheat

Hollywood's Dirty Brotherhood Exposed

Hastert Points to St. Pete Times

JonBenet Flimsy

As the case against John Mark Karr disintegrates, attention turns to CU prof Michael Tracey, who's fingered false suspects in the past.

Rub, Tug, Repeat

To catch a few johns, cops get down and dirty in Boca.

Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Pop Stars

Admitting Terror, Part 3

Florida INS director Dan Cadman fooled Congress; then his bosses promoted him

A Bettor Way of Buying

A Coconut Creek supervisor bought lawn chemicals from his Mob-connected bookie. Sound weird? We thought so.