Professing love via racy text messages, and telling him “cant wait to fuck ur hard cock,” professional escort Dalia Dippolito convinced an ex-lover to help her try to bankrupt her new husband. According to lengthy text message transcripts obtained by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, Dalia cajoled Mike…
The 21-year-old woman walked alone on a darkened strip of Old Dixie Highway in Jupiter around 12:30 a.m. on April 9, 2009. Engrossed in a cell-phone conversation, she didn’t immediately notice the man quietly stalking her, a cigarette in his mouth.She did her best to put up a fight. “She…
For those who insist Tony Villegas was framed for the murder of attorney Melissa Britt Lewis in March 2008, one key piece of evidence begs for extra attention.After Melissa disappeared, Plantation police discovered her abandoned Cadillac in a parking lot in Plantation. In the trunk was the brown suit jacket…
The small crowd gathered outside the West Palm Beach courthouse at noon today was sweaty and subdued. Holding signs urging people to “Stand With the President: Support Wall Street Reform!” the ten protesters — polite, mostly middle-aged, in shorts and sneakers — drew mixed reactions.”Yes We Can bankrupt America,” one…
Now that a Broward judge has declared Tony Villegas incompetent to stand trial for the murder of attorney Melissa Britt Lewis, many people are wondering about his state of mind two years ago, when he was arrested for allegedly strangling Melissa and dumping her body in a canal.If mental health…
Two years after he was arrested for allegedly strangling attorney Melissa Britt Lewis and dumping her body in a canal, Tony Villegas has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.Al Milian, one of two attorneys representing Tony, declined to explain why Tony’s mental health has suddenly become an issue or when…
Now that Debra Villegas has been charged with money laundering in connection with Scott Rothstein’s massive Ponzi scheme, her finances are getting a closer look. One venture that has raised some eyebrows is the corporation she formed with her best friend, Melissa Britt Lewis. In March 2008, right after Melissa…
Florida’s legislators, in their great wisdom, today passed a bill requiring women to get an ultrasound exam before exercising their constitutional right to have an abortion.In addition to paying for the exam, most women will have to listen to a doctor’s description of the fetus.Clearly, our elected leaders don’t think…
John Goodman, the multimillionaire owner of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, was so drunk the night of a fatal car crash this February that he “fell down for no apparent reason,” according to a lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court today.Goodman also fled the scene and made…
The last day Debra Villegas saw her best friend alive, Melissa Britt Lewis came into Debra’s office to ask about her outfit. It was a new suit, just purchased that weekend, chocolate brown with pinstripes. But it was a size 8, and Melissa was afraid it was too big. She…
The night attorney Melissa Britt Lewis was killed in March 2008, Debra Villegas was at the Round Up Country Western Club in Davie, she told the Plantation police in a sworn interview. She was hanging out with a group of friends that included the man who would become her new…
This week’s New Times feature story is an-depth look at the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis, a young attorney at the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Alder firm who was killed more than a year before Rothstein’s massive Ponzi scheme imploded. Melissa’s best friend, Debra Villegas, is in a federal courtroom today facing…
The lack of decent food at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has been a fact of life in South Florida for years. Some residents avoid the airport altogether, happy to pay more to fly out of Palm Beach International, rather than suffer the indignities of greasy burgers, congealed pizza, and concession…
Earlier this week, we brought you the news of what appeared to be a string of violence in Belle Glade. In the span of ten days, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported a dead body found in the street, a stabbing, and an alleged burglary/homicide at a convenience store.For…
I’m new to South Florida, so I’ve never had the pleasure of flying on Miramar-based Spirit Airlines before. But as a die-hard bargain shopper, I was thrilled to discover last night that Spirit was offering a direct flight to Boston for $215 roundtrip.What a steal! That was $75 less than…
When we last left Wellington resident Rob Van Winkle, he was jumping a motorcycle over a monster truck filled with drunken fans. Now the man known to the world as Vanilla Ice is embarking on a quintessential South Florida venture: real estate. Always a lover of vintage cars — he…
Greg Bryant raises reticulated pythons, the longest snakes in the world. From the Retic Ranch in Delray Beach, he breeds animals that can grow to 20 feet and top 100 pounds and sells them around the world. His livelihood is now threatened by federal legislation, proposed last year by Florida…
An alleged burglary and homicide in Belle Glade yesterday afternoon was the third in a string of violent crimes in the impoverished city in the past ten days.According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, a man in a black hoodie and a ski mask shot and killed an employee…
Just up the road from the Mennonite Tourist Church, on a street where women in white bonnets and blue dresses pedal their bikes to the store, is a time capsule of a restaurant.Inside, the abundantly cheerful waitresses wear flowered aprons with frilly white trim. Checkered cloths adorn simple, wooden tables…
National media pundits try so hard to understand South Florida. Bless their hearts; they find the weird mix of hanging chads, Ponzi schemers, gator wrestlers, and condo flippers to be terribly confusing. And once in a while, they just flub completely.This morning on NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show, the subject…
Many people have wondered how Debra Villegas could fill two seemingly conflicting roles. How could she be the confident, right-hand woman to Scott Rothstein as he ran a massive Ponzi scheme out of his law office, yet go home every night to an allegedly abusive husband who beat her kids…
On March 10, 2008 Plantation police detectives confronted Tony Villegas at the Florida East Coast Railway depot in Fort Lauderdale with a search warrant. He told them he had been expecting them. By this time, detectives had been quietly questioning people about the murder of Melissa Britt Lewis for four…
