U.S. Attorney's Office

Mistrial Coming for Buju: Did a Juror Violate Court Orders?

Broward Residents Indicted for Running Massive Commodities-Trading Fraud

A handful of middle-aged alleged fraudsters in northern Broward has been charged with a whole bunch of fraud and money laundering, accused by the U.S. Attorney's Office of raising more than $20 million for a fake investment scheme.More than 700 folks were allegedly told they could invest in a compan ... More >>

Fort Lauderdale Cop Charged With Wire Fraud Over Supplemental Military Pay

​Fort Lauderdale Police Officer David McElligott was charged yesterday with wire fraud after allegedly defrauding the city for supplemental pay while serving in the Air Force.After 9/11, the Fort Lauderdale Commission put a supplemental military pay policy that would give city employees called to ... More >>

Scott Rothstein's Relationship With the Feds Questioned

​Government objections during the fifth day of Scott Rothstein's deposition made it clear he's not allowed to give any details on his affiliations with organized crime or his claims that he bribed cops and judges.On the seventh day of his deposition -- the afternoon session of December 20 in the t ... More >>

Seven People Charged in Tax Fraud Case Based on Secret Bank-Account Conspiracy Theory

ambienceofmedia.com​Get this: The government creates a secret bank account for every person issued a birth certificate in the United States -- and has been doing so since the enactment of the 1936 Social Security Act -- that holds $630,000. Through a series of IRS filings, people can become entitl ... More >>

Scott Rothstein Saga: Marybeth Feiss and William Boockvor Charged With Felonies

​Scott Rothstein's scummy ways have now led to two more people being hit with felony charges, becoming the sixth and seventh of Rothstein's old pals to face felonies.Marybeth Feiss, an administrative assistant at the now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm, and William "Uncle Bill" Boockvo ... More >>

Three Plead Guilty in Scam Based on Government-Regulated Toilet Paper

​Question: How much money can three Palm Beach County scam artists make by convincing old people there are new government regulations that ban traditional toilet paper?Answer: Around $1 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.Mary Moore, 54, Joseph Nouerand, 52, and Christopher Lincoln, 4 ... More >>

Feds Seize 500-Year-Old Painting Stolen by Nazi Cohorts During World War II

ICE"Christ Carrying the Cross Dragged by a Rascal" -- not exactly stolen by Nazis.​"Nazis. I hate these guys." -- Indiana JonesGovernment agents seized a 500-year-old painting from the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science in Tallahassee on Friday, a work of art the U.S. Attorney's Office says w ... More >>

David Britto's Mother Takes a Plea Deal, Will Likely Avoid Prison Time

David Britto, a federal fugitive who's free to sip margaritas on the beaches of Brazil due to his citizenship.​Janiber "Jane" Andrade Vieira -- mother of former Boynton Beach cop/alleged meth trafficker/federal fugitive David Britto -- accepted a plea agreement yesterday that may allow her to skir ... More >>

Scott Rothstein Investors Set for Trial Against TD Bank; Rothstein's Pals Ordered to Appear

zazzle.com​Coquina investments, which claims it lost $37.7 million in Scott Rothstein's billion-dollar Ponzi scheme, is slated to go to trial before a jury against TD Bank on October 24 in Miami.The lawsuit, which was filed in March 2010, alleges two Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ... More >>

Scarlett Johansson's Boobs Presented to the World by Florida Man, According to FBI

Consult the internet for less fabric.​A Jacksonville man named Christopher Chaney has been identified by the FBI as the man who graced the interwebs with nude photos of actress Scarlett Johansson.He also faces 121 years in prison for allegedly doing so.In a news conference this afternoon, the FBI ... More >>

Scott Rothstein's Recently Sentenced Pals May Testify in Lawsuit Against TD Bank

Scott Rothstein​An investment company alleging TD Bank committed multiple crimes throughout Scott Rothstein's billion-dollar Ponzi scheme is requesting that three of the four recently sentenced Rothstein cohorts testify at a civil trial.Coquina investments, which claims it lost $37.7 million in Ro ... More >>

Scott Rothstein Computer Nerds Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison

Scott Rothstein​Curtis Renie and William Corte, the information technology workers for Ponzi scheme mastermind Scott Rothstein's law firm, were each sentenced to 37 months in prison yesterday.Renie and Corte, both 38 years old, pleaded guilty in June to a single count each of conspiracy to commit ... More >>

David Britto Fired From the Boynton Beach Police Department

David Britto, who's been in Brazil for nearly a month, was fired from the Boynton Beach Police Department.​Alleged meth trafficker/federal fugitive David Britto has officially been fired from the Boynton Beach Police Department.Police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater tells the Pulp that the former cop ... More >>

David Britto's Mother Faces Life in Prison for Allegedly Helping Her Son Escape to Brazil

David Britto, federal fugitive, has been in Brazil for three weeks and change.​Janiber "Jane" Andrade Vieira -- the mother of Boynton Beach cop/alleged meth trafficker/federal fugitive David Britto -- was indicted by a grand jury on charges that she helped her son escape to Brazil, according t ... More >>

David Britto, Federal Fugitive/Alleged Meth Trafficker, Left for Brazil Two Weeks Ago

David Britto, federal fugitive, has been in Brazil for two weeks.​Boynton Beach cop/alleged meth trafficker/federal fugitive David Britto has been on the run since August 24, and according to a filing submitted yesterday by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Britto hopped on a flight to Brazil that same ... More >>

West Palm Pedophile Gets 40 Years in the Pen for Letting the Cops Know He Molests Kids

Florida Department of Law EnforcementPedophile Allen Mark Levinson​Allen Mark Levinson likes molesting kids so much that even with a previous conviction for aggravated sexual abuse, he decided to let the cops know again -- in a chatroom called "dadanddaughtersex" -- that he molested his daughter t ... More >>

Alleged Obama Threatener Reportedly Called Palm Beach Post More Than 1,000 Times

Multnomah County Sheriff's OfficeDarryl James Swanson​Darryl James Swanson -- the Oregon man arrested for allegedly threatening President Barack Obama in a series of phone calls to the U.S. attorney's offices in Portland and Seattle, as well as the Palm Beach County Commissioner's Office -- also e ... More >>

Boynton Beach Police Officer of the Year Arrested as Alleged Meth Salesman

Palm Beach County Association of Chiefs of Police2010's meth salesman cop of the year, David Britto (holding plaque).​Last year's Officer of the Year from the Boynton Beach Police Department now faces up to life in prison for meth trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.Officer David ... More >>

Oregon Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening Obama, Palm Beach Commissioner's Office

Multnomah County Sheriff's OfficeDarryl James Swanson​An Oregon man is accused of threatening President Barack Obama, the U.S. Attorney's offices in Portland and Seattle, and -- strangely enough -- the Palm Beach County Commissioner's Office, the Associated Press reports.Darryl James Swanson, a 45 ... More >>

Scott Rothstein's Return to South Florida Delayed

​U.S. District Judge James Cohn ruled this morning to delay Scott Rothstein's return to South Florida for a deposition in bankruptcy court, the Sun-Sentinel reports.Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office entered an objection to a ruling a few weeks ago from a U.S. bankruptcy judge ordering th ... More >>

Scott Rothstein Saga: Debra Villegas Goes to Prison; Four Enter Guilty Pleas

Scott W. Rothstein​The gifts of prison sentences keep coming, thanks to Scott Rothstein.Debra Villegas, the second in command for Rothstein's gigantic Ponzi scheme, surrendered to her new home at a minimum-security federal prison last week to begin her ten-year sentence.Villegas, now 44, pleaded g ... More >>

Scott Rothstein Saga: "A Dozen to Two Dozen" to Be Charged in Next Round of Indictments

​When prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office filed an objection late last week for Ponzi-schemer Scott Rothstein to be deposed before creditors in a bankruptcy court, it gave one of the rare hints into where the feds are going in dismantling Rothstein's former associates.Prosecutors say they' ... More >>

Scott Rothstein's Head Computer Nerd Turns Himself In

Scott Rothstein -- still 49 more years in the slammer​Curtis Renie, the 38-year-old information technology head of Ponzi scheme mastermind Scott Rothstein's law firm, turned himself in to the feds today.Renie, of Fort Lauderdale, is the third person to turn himself in to authorities to be indicted ... More >>

Are More Arrests to Come in the Scott Rothstein Saga?

csmonitor.comOne year in prison down, only 49 more to go!​Four more people were charged late last week for their alleged roles in the Ponzi scheme of former Fort Lauderdale lawyer and scam-man extraordinaire Scott Rothstein.The U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Friday that Howard Kusnick, 58 ... More >>

Scott Rothstein Saga Continues: Four More Charged in $1.4 Billion Ponzi Scheme

csmonitor.comIt sucks (now) to be friends with Scott Rothstein.​Former Fort Lauderdale lawyer and Ponzi schemer extraordinaire Scott Rothstein is almost a year into rotting away in his 50-year prison sentence, and now four more of his old pals have a chance of joining him in the joint for a few ye ... More >>

Local Muslims May Support Terrorists or Strive for Peace -- Depending on Whom You Ask

Prosecutors say the six men supported the Taliban in Pakistan.​If you believe the feds, the group of local Muslims arrested across South Florida this past weekend were supporters of terrorism and worked to fund those who would kill and kidnap in the name of Islam. The four-count indictment claims ... More >>

RRA Case Fading Away

Thought I'd share a new piece of my wardrobe this morning while I work on another post. Yes, that's an authentic Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler cap. It's glittery. I was also given an RRA T-shirt handed out at the infamous Bahamian retreat for the law firm that I'll catwalk for ... More >>

Source: Federal Indictment Coming For School Administrator, BSO Sgt.

Sources tell me the U.S. Attorney's Office will announce the arrest of a Broward County public official as soon as tomorrow. Thomas Correa, a long-time Broward Sheriff's Office sergeant and a former administrator at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is expected to be ind ... More >>

Fantasy Voter Fraud

Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was dissed by Russell Pearce over Prop 200's dismissal.

Attorneys Describe Legal Maneuvers by School District, Board Members After Gallagher Was Charged

Beverly Gallagher​In the weeks that followed the announcement last September that Broward County School Board member Beverly Gallagher had been busted for taking bribes in an FBI sting, several of her colleagues got anxious. So did the school district administration. "The FBI was asking a lot ... More >>

Nutritional Supplement Maker in Boca Convicted of Fraud

Flickr: DarkHairedGirl​Poor Frank Sarcona, AKA Frank Sarcone, AKA Dave Johnson. Whatever the chap's name, he lacks the creativity to concoct new scams. Sarcona -- let's stick with that -- was convicted last week by a federal jury for a host of fraud charges, after he violated the terms of an injun ... More >>

Liberty City Charade Ends With Injustice

Yesterday morning's headline on the top of the front page of the Sun-Sentinel was, "5 Guilty In Sears Tower Plot." This morning's lead headline is: "Desperation Turns Deadly Off Florida." They are connected in a way, because both are about Haitians. The first about several Haitians from Liberty Cit ... More >>

Jurors and Prosecutors Sink a Federal Case Against Internet Pharmacies

Vice Mayor Keechl Mum About Fraud Case, Former Partner's Arrest

I've always thought of Broward Commission newcomer Ken Keechl, who now holds the position of Vice Mayor, as a benign force. Sure, he's subject to the wiles and temptations of Broward's ruling class like anyone else, and he's fallen prey at times to special interests. But he's sort of a goo ... More >>

With a Bullet

Corruption-busting lawyer Bruce Udolf wants to be Broward sheriff. After the Ken Jenne experience, though, are voters too suspicious of lawyers turned cops?

Mr. Schrader Goes to Washington

A gay escort finds himself at the center of a classic D.C. scandal in The Walker

Rx for Plunder

Looting the Treasury was never so easy

Alleged Hollywood Leaker Arrested

Buffy The Zucaro Slayer

Activist Jailed In Riviera Beach

Letters for July 13-19, 2006

Mayor Al Engineers Another Deal

Turns out Deerfield Beach's honcho is into more shenanigans than we detailed last week.

Deutsch Marks

He's raised a lot of money in his bid for the Senate, but from whom?

Bad Operation

Prominent parasites bleed the taxpayers in the name of medicine

86ed

West Palm's "most notorious": Big fish or a small scapegoat in the war on drugs?

Assail on the Fun Ship

Carnival doesn't just neglect passengers who claim to be victims of sexual assault. It attempts to shut them up.

One Nation, Divisible Under God

For 45 years the Pledge of Allegiance has included a mention of the Almighty. Atheist Michael Newdow is suing for removal.

The Straight Dope

Undercurrents