It’s the biggest story at the Broward County Courthouse right now, but if you rely only on the Sun-Sentinel or Miami Herald you haven’t heard a word about it. The story in a nutshell: Broward Circuit Judge John Bowman several years ago took an interest in a young foster child, Charles Harper, who had come before him in family court. They…
Developer Glenn Wright, whose firm was involved in the Cindi Hutchinson scandal that blew up Friday, was charged today with stealing $20,000 from the homeowners association of one of his upscale housing developments. Wright allegedly used the stolen money to help Rabbi Schneur Kaplan close on property for the Downtown Jewish Center. Ponzi…
Was it worth it, Cindi? Former Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Cindi Hutchinson not only wins the the award for selling out her seat the cheapest — a toilet, really? — but also for the worst mug shot in a procession of public official mug shots. Look at that face. It’s the face of denial and…
Newspapers are all about web hits. Web hits on stories generate buzz, they get the attention of advertisers, and they drive dollars. For the past several years, newspapers, including this one, have designed and redesigned their websites to maximize hits. While bells and whistles have been added, employees have been laid…
Instead of a big showdown in court with big-time witnesses like U.S. Sen. John McCain, former Gov. Charlie Crist and Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti, Russell Adler and the bankruptcy attorneys representing his former law firm settled the clawback suit today with little fanfare. The Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler bankruptcy trustee sued Adler last…
Now we know that there was never any criminal complaint filed against Coral Park Elementary Principal Amanda Miles, who was charged with felony marijuana possession after police found three-quarters of an ounce of the stuff in her bedroom. Well, of course there wasn’t — who would complain about a 60-year-old woman smoking…
Republican Sheriff Al Lamberti and Michael Albetta, head of the influential Dolphin Democrats, always seemed an odd couple. Despite their party differences, Albetta, who has played a big role in Broward’s gay political circles for years, campaigned tirelessly for Lamberti during his race in 2008, introducing him to countless Democrats and touting him everywhere he went as a superb…
Inside, see a video of Jimmy Buffett’s fall at the end of his concert in Sydney, Australia. It looks brutal; newspapers are reporting that he’s in stable condition at the hospital. It appears from the video that Buffett simply walked unwittingly off the stage. The Daily Telegraph reports that he…
[jump] So now Charlie Crist is a trial lawyer. Here’s a link to his website page at his new law firm Morgan & Morgan in St. Petersburg. Crist’s areas of expertise are listed as class-action lawsuits and mass torts and his bio is a little over the top: Mr. Crist has…
New Florida Democratic Chairman Rod Smith wants to hear from people about what needs to be done to improve the party. “We need your help,” Smith wrote on the party’s website. “Please let us know your thoughts and suggestions on how we can better represent and elect Democrats all around the state. Tell us what…
When it comes to big-time politicians known to have seriously cottoned to flamboyant Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, Florida’s new chief financial officer escaped notice almost entirely. Jeff Atwater, who was elected to the state cabinet position in November, talked on a voice message left on Rothstein’s phone of how Rothstein, whom he calls his “dearest supporter,” was…
Running around, so I thought I’d quickly share a missive from Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein to Chris Salamone, one of his close friends and business associates. It’s goes to the great paradox of Rothstein: He was a cutthroat con artist, a financial serial killer (as one of his former judge associates once called him),…
— Louie Granteed, an assistant Hollywood police chief, is organizing a run for sheriff. A former brother-in-law of PBA honcho Jeff Marano, Granteed has been speaking at Democratic club meetings and, as one source put it, “worked the room like an old pro” at Friday’s judicial robing at the Broward County Courthouse. At the beginning…
Former Gov. Charlie Crist was apparently a little closer to Scott Rothstein than we knew. Or maybe not. They blew out the candles on Crist’s birthday cake a couple of years ago after giving the governor $52,000 (a grand for each candle). Before the disbarred Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme imploded, Rothstein and the governor were…
I know that we have been accused of queening it up too much, you, me, and [Ilene] Lieberman, the three queens on the County Commission. But I can’t really think of anybody I would rather queen it up with than you. — Stacy Ritter to Ken Keechl Two queens of…
After a report on JAABlog appeared stating definitively that Sunrise Commissioner Sheila Alu is running for County Commission in 2012, I spoke with the potential candidate. Alu tells me she is going to run for the seat currently held by the embattled Ilene Lieberman. There’s a catch: Alu says she will run only if Lieberman doesn’t try to reclaim the…
Remember those first-class Super Bowl credentials that Sheriff Al Lamberti wrangled for his son from the NFL for last year’s game while his agency provided security for the event? Well, the South Florida Times is dogging him about it, and some interesting things are happening as a result. For one, Lamberti is…
Want to live like a Ponzi schemer? Buy Joel Steinger’s house. Steinger, the felon behind the giant Mutual Benefits viatical scam, is facing federal fraud charges. As I told you this morning, he’s on house arrest while he awaits his day in court, assuming it will ever come after so many…
Lobbyist Russ Klenet better hope things are going well in D.C., because the situation on the home front has deteriorated rapidly. Last night, the Sunrise Commission voted him right out of his $60,000-ish contract with the city. It was one of his plum jobs and, perhaps more important, the relationship with Sunrise was surely the decisive…
It appears the controversy regarding the sheriff’s absence at a benefit held over the weekend for slain BSO Sgt. Chris Reyka was prompted by miscommunication. Sheriff Al Lamberti’s executive assistant, Don Prichard, explained that the sheriff was asked to be a celebrity judge at the benefit and, though he was expected to be…
The Sun-Sentinel reports that the image appeared last week and after the town was able to remove the image, it popped back up over the weekend. A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security said the agency hadn’t reviewed the hacking incidents. This isn’t the first time a U.S.-based website has been…
