This week, the bizarro nature of Broward County really hit home. This week, Scott Rothstein stood in a courtroom shackled in chains and apologized before he was sentenced to 50 years in prison. This week, Joe Eggelletion waved goodbye in handcuffs and cried as he apologized for his own corruption…

People wonder what sentence Scott Rothstein thought he would receive when he returned from Morocco to cooperate with the government. Answer: Under 20 years. I have that it on good authority that Rothstein said early on that he believed he would get something in the neighborhood of 15 years. And while that seems almost…

Above is the video I shot of Kim Rothstein leaving the courthouse. I had a great start because I was separated from the pack of photogs, who weren’t even allowed to cross the sidewalk. It goes downhill from there; I could have gotten great video of the car entry, but I held the…

Scott Rothstein was sentenced this morning to five decades in prison by U.S. District Court Judge James Cohn. The judge was vocal not only about the $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme in which investors lost an estimated $429 million but also about Rothstein’s forgery of federal officers and bogus court papers,…

I know that looks like a prematurely published headline, but it’s just in anticipation of tomorrow’s news. I’ll be there to faithfully report on the proceedings, and we should have some good coverage overall. As soon as we get the sentence, those x’s above will be filled in with the real numbers. I’m sticking…

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the oil leak in the Gulf was like an action movie desperately in need of a hero. We still don’t have one, least of all President Obama. Now Obama is talking about finding an “ass to kick” over the devastating spill. That’s just…

Now that the government has come out with a recommendation that Scott Rothstein receive 40 years, the final over-under on the sentence Judge James Cohn will hand out on Wednesday morning is… 40 years. I was going to go with a Solomonesque 35, but I have a feeling the judge will…

Also writing a letter to Judge Cohn for Scott Rothstein was attorney Bill Scherer, who is not only a member of the bankruptcy committee but is also a representing several of Rothstein’s victims in a civil suit against alleged co-conspirators. I’ve reported here before that Rothstein was giving Scherer information…

Here’s the text of the letter from Gay and Harvey Rothstein. A few family friends who knew Rothstein when he was a kid also weighed in, with the best line coming from one Sandra Zucker. “”He had many obstacles growing up, but always kept his focus and discipline to achieve…

Here’s the second part of Scott Rothstein’s leniency letter to Judge Cohn, continued from the previous post: ————————- I had completely lost my moral compass. And though I clearly had the ability and opportunity to stop the forward motion of what would be a series of many despicable acts that…

Scott Rothstein wrote his letter to Judge James Cohn asking for leniency. It really is an extraordinary letter and it comes after the jump.  wrote that before fleeing to Morocco he contemplated suicide, “sitting in my shower, in my business suit, crying, with a .357 Magnum up against my head. I sat…

Associated Press A brown pelican covered in BP oil   Broward Sheriff’s Office Commander Alvin Pollock, who is under internal investigation for allegedly providing special treatment to an arrested Miami Dolphins player last week, contacted the Property Appraiser’s Office recently on behalf of star linebacker Karlos Dansby.   Sources said that…

And after the jump, we have a video of Euro Motorsport owner Gene Morales a representative of Euro Motorsport being questioned by the indomitable Lyn Evans at the Rothstein auction yesterday (she provided the video gratis, for those of you keeping score). Euro Motorsport had just purchased the Bugatti Veyron for $858,000 (in total,…

[UPDATED: School board sources confirmed that former school construction chief Mike Garretson died today of heart failure at age 64. Garretson was a controversial figure at the School Board who steamrolled the construction boom that ended with the board $2 billion in debt and overbuilt with a projected 30,000-plus empty seats. See…

We’ll have more on that later. UPDATE: I’m posting prices in the comments as I learn them from reader Jay, the Pulp’s man on the ground. Biggest ticket item to go yet: The 2008 Bugatti Veyron is up for bid right now, and it’s going very slow. At this very…

OK, it looks like Bova Prime is closed, probably for good. The amazing thing about that is how long Tony Bova made it last after Rothstein’s implosion. One former employee told me it lost its credit and was basically a cash business for months, and we know Bova recently filed for bankruptcy…

Fort Lauderdale’s Andrew Barnett was a Scott Rothstein associate who drummed up investors for the Ponzi scheme. Barnett, who served as RRA’s “director of corporate development,” has said that his involvement was innocent and that he had no idea Rothstein’s investments were shams. Now the 39-year-old Barnett is in a similar position with his own brother-in-law…

​ Here’s the language of Amendment 4, which you’ll see on the November ballot: “Establishes that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government…

​The photo above is more evidence that there’s not a better town in the world to play that Kevin Bacon six degrees of separation game than Broward. It’s Phillip Merling, who was arrested last week on charges of hitting his pregnant girlfriend, holding a Renato watch. You remember who owned…

A Broward Sheriff’s Office internal investigation into special treatment given to a Miami Dolphin player charged with battering his pregnant girlfriend is focusing on a BSO commander who moonlights as a security specialist for the football team, the Pulp has learned. Sheriff Al Lamberti called a news conference yesterday to denounce the “indefensible” favors given by his…

I know that Scott Rothstein’s former law partners, Stuart Rosenfeldt and Russell Adler, have a lot more to worry about right now than the Florida Bar, but a recent New York case may not bode well for their hopes to continue practicing law even if they somehow beat the odds…

— Sure Beverly Gallagher liked to tie one on. Hell, the feds’ information for her arrest included documented visits to bars, and who could forget the infamous FBI party boat. Had the former School Board member gone to trial, you really would have heard all about her boozing (actually, she drank mostly…