I’ve heard rumors for some time that fallen lawyer, political player, and Scott Rothstein put an erotic dancer up in a suite at the Ritz-Carlton on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Now a source is going on the record with it. John Ciriello, an antiques dealer living in Pompano Beach, said he learned that Rothstein was keeping a…
So I see this Daily Business Review story about the civil complaint filed by federal prosecutors seeking forfeiture of $17.8 million in property allegedly acquired by Scott Rothstein with Ponzi scheme money. The story by Jordana Mishory reports that the judge assigned to the case is U.S. District Judge William Zloch. Someone reminds…
A waiter called me with some stories about Scott Rothstein’s headquarters in his Gotham act, a little place called Bova Prime. And it was funny hearing the waiter’s story. This guy had such similar thoughts about Rothstein and the restaurant on Las Olas that held its grand opening on January 13 with…
This one is a bit of a game changer.It seems Scott Rothstein wasn’t just ripping off investors in a Ponzi scheme; he was also swindling friends in his work as a lawyer. Or at least one friend, wealthy car dealer Ted Morse, and Morse’s parents, Ed and Carol. We knew…
Attorneys Jeffrey Sonn and John Genovese filed a petition to force the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm into involuntary bankruptcy. A hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow. The largest investor in the motion is the aforementioned socialite Bonnie Barnett, who plunked a half million dollars into the scheme and whose son,…
When management at historic and famed Casa Casuarina — better-known as the Gianni Versace mansion — learned that Scott Rothstein’s business empire was imploding, the majority owner of the property, telecommunications tycoon Peter Loftin, was faced with a crisis. Rothstein had, after all, purchased a stake in the 20,000-square-foot playground for the ultra-wealthy in late July, and his…
That Channel 7 interview with Scott Rothstein and his attorney was a real pip. First, the reporter, Rosh Lowe, really played up Rothstein’s ridiculous promise to pay back all his victims. It was like Lowe believed it and was rallying behind the guy. Of course, Lowe was probably full of gratitude for the interview (a prize…
From the Capital Grille, this is Scott Rothstein being greeted by the staff there and being served a martini. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s him at about noon today. One thought: When he told me he believed that his investors would get their money back today, I didn’t think of…
While the feds were busy seizing his cars, guns, and yacht, I sat down with Scott Rothstein. It was at the Capital Grille on Sunrise Boulevard, one of his favorite hangouts. I was there hoping to meet a source and Rothstein was sitting at the bar with his attorney, Marc Nurik. It was just before…
One thing about Scott Rothstein is that people who know — or knew — him best will tell you that he lies as naturally as he breathes (especially his good friends, whom he ripped off for millions of dollars). Keep that in mind when you read what he told the Miami Herald on his cell phone…
Scott Rothstein gave $1 million to Holy Cross Hospital and hundreds of thousands of dollars to a slew of other charities, including the Dan Marino Foundation, Alonzo Mourning Charities, the Humane Society, the American Heart Association, the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, and the Jewish Federation. Guess what? The lawyers are…
You can say a lot of things about Scott Rothstein (and you have), but one thing that’s hard to question about him is his loyalty to his parents. Through all the years, he has remained very close to his mother and father, housewife Gay and Harvey, who worked as a…
Broward Sheriff’s Lt. David Benjamin, who serves as Sheriff Al Lamberti’s “executive officer,” escorted Scott Rothstein through Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport to his chartered jet when the fallen lawyer fled the country for Morocco last week. Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Leljedal confirmed that Rothstein phoned his friend Benjamin, who was off-duty and armed at…
Some end-of-Friday news: Miami Herald — Add another Scott Rothstein investor to the mix: Ovi Levy, who helped found the Renato Watches, a company in which Rothstein once told me he owned 40 percent. Sources say Levy invested several million dollars with Rothstein, who had a collection of several hundred watches…
A key question regarding Scott Rothstein’s fraudulent scheme that until now has gone largely unanswered: How did he lure so many rich and powerful locals to pour tens of millions into the estimated billion-dollar Ponzi that imploded last weekend? One way he did it was by tricking investors into believing that…
We’re going to start with a photo tour of Rothstein’s office. I got the video and am going to post, but I like the idea of starting with a few still shots. These shots were taken this afternoon, several hours after FBI and IRS agents left the offices after taking…
Interesting fun fact of the day: The G5 that Scott Rothstein flew to Morocco and back was apparently arranged for Rothstein by Blue Star Jets. Blue Star Jets is owned by Todd Rome. Todd Rome is the ex-husband of Carol Rome. Carol Rome is the current wife of Florida governor and…
This just in from the State Attorney’s Office: It filed an unlawful compensation felony charge against former Broward County Commissioner Joe Eggelletion in the Parkland Golf & Country Club case wherein he allegedly took a golf club membership from developer Prestige Homes in exchange for his support for a controversial…
In a move aimed at further distancing Rothstein Rosenfeldt and Adler lawyers from the firm’s former swindling chairman, a media tour was offered of the law firm and Scott Rothstein’s “inner sanctum” — the elaborate office where he hatched his schemes. The Pulp went along for the tour, which was led by former U.S…
The fake Las Olas Lifestyle cover was submitted by a reader who didn’t want credit for it. After the jump, see an illustrated Rothstein spoof on the Passover Seder song “Chad Gadya” (which translates to “One Kid” or “One Little Goat”) that was forwarded to the Pulp by a reader. I’m not sure if…
[Update: The feds left the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm a bit after 5 a.m. after arriving about 6 p.m. They took voluminous records and left an inventory, though that is being kept confidential. The FBI and IRS did their work at night so as not to totally disrupt the…
[UPDATE: The FBI is holding a consensual search at the offices of Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler tonight — it’s not huge news but worth knowing. There’s a great number of agents — I’m hearing about 35 — crawling around the firm. Word is that Rothstein is still chilling out with federal prosecutors.] When Broward County Mayor Stacy…
