Social Security Disability Benefits
Social Security Benefits are the very lifeline a person has. The Office of the Public Defender represents large numbers of clients who receive and rely exclusively on Social Security Benefits as a result of a disability. When a client is in jail, the benefits are severed for the disabled person and a benefit is created for the Sheriff's Office. Finkelstein wants to ensure that the mechanism which is used to cease the benefit, is also the same mechanism used to reinstate the benefit upon release.
Finkelstein Letter to Lamberti
Benefits help sought for disabled Broward inmates
Advocates help inmates restore benefits
Is it Weinstein or Levenson or both leaving criminal? And is Dale Cohen in?
I'm glad to know someone is thinking. It's a real desert out there. Good move Howard.
Too bad the SSI money is more than some secretaries make. Charity starts at home Howard.
Maybe Howard can give away the $40.00 a head he is taking from the millionaires that get arrested and are in jail.
Will there ever be an audit of the scam the PD is currently running where they offer their services to anyone, regardless of whether they are indigent, just to get the application fee and the extra few hundreds after the case is over?
Not on this blog....but this is the place this issue should be aired, as the PD is improperly stealing clients who ARE NOT INDIGENT from the private bar.
Here's an idea for Howard: why don't you try to take care of the many worsening problems in your own office instead of always pointing your finger at others? Attorneys and secretaries are getting more and more work dumped on them and when people quit they are not being replaced. Howard, in felony lawyers have more than a hundred cases each - why don't you take half of a caseload yourself? Are you proud of the representation your attorneys give? If each of the chiefs took a mere half caseload your clients would be in much better shape. If you all don't want to actually represent criminal defendants, why not take 50% salary cuts and fund lawyers to represent all these clients. Aren't you afraid that the legislature and the public might find out how many overpaid chiefs you have at taxpayers' expense? Find out that you assign absurd caseloads to felony attorneys while all of you work 20 or 30 hour weeks?
To the private bar: public defenders HATE representing people who own more than they do and make more money as well. Lots of PD clients are not indigent. They lie. Good luck in fixing the problem.
No kidding. How many times do you need to have the PDO knowingly submitting phony financial indigency affidavits to the court before someone starts to look at the issue closely.
Just because its a cash cow for the office doesn't mean its right. Why should a businessman making over 6 figures a year be represneted by the PDO just because someone comes to him right after he is put into jail but before he bonds out to offer him a "free lawyer".
What a scam they are running.
I don't get it. You say a benefit is created for BSO. What do they get?
Finkelstein's letter says BSO gets paid by SS everytime they inform the agency when a SS recipient becomes an inmate. He calls it a bounty.
Example: a man is arrested in Weston for Aggravated Battery (domestic violence)
He is the guy the county paid millions to have his company pave the new airport runway extension. He is worth millions, lives in a house worth $900,000.00 and drives a Mercedes Benz. Why does he have the PD? Because Help Me Howard has the desire to continue to build his empire and collect $40.00 per application.
Also, Pre-Trial just received another 2.5 million from the Democratic Broward County Commission. What about the bondsman/bondswomen who make a living making sure the clients show up in court? They accept the risk and are motivated to bring the body back to court if he/she dips. (ie.. they either present the body to the court or must foreclose on the house to get reimbursed for the full bond) All pre-trial cares about is getting the warrant, and retrieving their stupid monitor - at taxpayer expense and at the risk of the deputies who are assigned to catch/locate the defendants/fugitives. It doubles the taxpayer expense because now we are paying the deputies to locate and arrest the fugitive.
The new pre-trial lady is the same person who was booted out of Palm Beach for lying to the Palm Beach County Commission. Lamberti (Republican) went along with the new government program (increase in spending) at the expense of the private bondsman. Whatever happened to privatization. Just like Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist along with the new regional offices (spd cases) rather than allow the private bar to handle same. These guys, along with the Democratic County Commission, are tax and spend liberals.
Who's on third what's on second.
Broward to free more suspects from jail as cost-cutting move
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbjail0116sbjan16,0,974154.story
All this talk of defendants skipping reminds me of Jody Banks/Heather Thomas from the Fall Guy tv show.
http://www.lebenskrieger.de/UserFiles/Image/039_16019~Heather-Thomas-Posters.jpg
Hold on a sec. I'll be back in 5 minutes.
Howard is a liar who shades the facts. As a former PD and citizen activist, it sickens me to think that my liberal vote is used to help anyone who FEELS LIKE getting a free lawyer. Howard, get your head out of your ass and start screening for indigency before you get on the bully pulpit and toot your usual b.s. NO ONE WILL TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY REPPRESENT ONLY INDIGENTS. YOU ARE A FAKE POLITIICIAN (as opposed to real one).
Sounds like some private practitioners that aren't very happy now that they're really feeling the absents of the "Wheel" where crooked judges handed out cases to their little minions and said go fetch. Not to mention the real deals their clients got in the process. Quit begrudgingly blaming Howard Finkelstein for your lack of business now that it's not being doled out to you in exchange for judicial campaign contributions. He's done more for the indigent of this county than you ever have in your snatch and grab style of representation. I don't think Howard Finkelstein or the Office of the Public Defender is looking to get rich on forty dollar application fees. They are lawyers dedicated to representing the indigent to the best of their ability without serving somebody else's' agenda. The public should and does repeatedly thank them every day for offering them protection against a system designed to usurp them of their liberty and stampede their constitutional rights. You should be so giving of your time for so little in exchange before you criticize a man or his office that does so much for the indigent and people in need.
It seems abundantly clear to me that maybe its the fact that Howard Finkelstein is NOT a dyed in the wool, slimy "Real Politician", as you put it, but a True ADVOCATE for the indigent that irks you the most. Some people do what they feel is right and say to hell with agendas and "Political Considerations". He is one of those people. You on the other hand sound like you have a real ax to grind when confronted by a person of character and determination who actually cares about the people he represents. Maybe it's time to reflect on your priorities and smash the idols of political patronage that you seem to use as a star by which to guide your opinions and start to realize the harm this type of thinking does to your fellow man.
Quit whining Russel now that the papers don't call you for anything. You and others in BACDL have done such a great job over the years to ruin criminal defense practice by over billing that now there's nothing left for the rest of us. Thanks again for all the good work. We all appreciate it.
THANK THE ALL MIGHTY FOR SOMEONE THAT CARES ABOUT THE INDIGENT. WHAT HAS SOCIETY BECOME WHEN IT FORGETS THE POOR AND UNDERPRIVILEGED, THE DOWN TRODDEN AND UNFORTUNATE? CAN IT BE THEN CALLED SOCIETY? A SOCIETY OF WHAT? THANK YOU MR. FINKELSTEIN FOR DOING IN YOUR HEART WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT AND JUST. IT IS NOT LOST ON THOSE OF US THAT HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. WHAT RIGHT DOES BSO HAVE TO MY SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS ANYWAY?
Oh wait, will the speech-nazis that run this site change that title to "Fake JAAB Cluster Posters". Tools.
Of course everyone was up at the butt crack of dawn to defend the head oompa-loompa, Help Me Howie.
Can someone PLEASE tell me how you can contemplate defending the PDO representing millionaires?
The office under Howard's direction is knowingly violating their oath and constitutional mandate.
Moreover, to the extent they are aware that they have staff going to the jail with pre-filled Indigency Affidavits with lots of zeros and having inmates sign them, their conduct may in and of itself be criminal.
Maybe a public records request for all indigency affidavits is in order. I'd hate to see what some of those PD Clients (like the millionaires from Weston and the doctors' children from Parkland) would say when questioned about what instructions they were given about filling out or signing those affidavits.
You want your SS benefits...stay out of jail scumb*gs. Or, try putting forth a minutia of effort and learn how to get your benefits reinstated by yourself. Why is it the Sheriff's job. You know how to get your cable T.V. turned on don't you. Morons.
Oompa Loompa. Ha Ha!
Cable T.V.! Wow! In many cases the disabled people who have their benefits turned off don't have money for a place to live so they certainly don't have cable T.V. which results in there getting arrested for loitering, trespass and many other contrived charges designed to keep the homeless off the streets and in jail. Many do not have either the physical or mental ability to navigate the social security maze. The Sheriff's office has no trouble suspending the benefits and reaping over $200,000.00 but seems unable or incapable of filing out the required paperwork to reinstate these same benefits.
wow--i hope u never fall on hard times. one compassionate soul
Glad to see that you are chiming in on a topic so close to your home, given that you survive of SSI Disability Income.
David does not need to worry about 10:26. Guys like that will be the poor innocent person railroaded into jail on lies and raped for 20 years in his next lifetime.
Blaa...blaaa...blaaa
Social Darwinism, I say. Of course, you assume these are people without homes. And, I'm sure non of them are getting arrested for selling drugs...or, doing drugs...or, loitering and trespassing since they are drunk and high...or, stealing...
cry me a river, or, should that be an ocean Pacificus.
What are the stats on all these poor innocents wrongly arrested and systematically being denied benefits? David, you get SSI and have a house and obviously a computer and are not mentally incompetent and stay out of jail...well, you stay out of jail....
According to the newspaper article last year over 500 people had there disability payments suspended because of BSO's action ($200,000.00/$400.00 bounty=500). If even one of them was for a loitering charge that is one too many. As far as them doing drugs 2:24, you are probably right, after 30 days incarceration not only are the social security benefits suspended but Medicare is terminated meaning many are left with no meds and end up with the drugs they can get to self medicate. As far as Social Darwinism is concerned the NAZI's tried to create a Master Race about 60 years ago. Look what that got us.
Thanks for the history lesson Pacificus. What BSO is doing is clearly comparable to Nazi Germany.
Im sure the 50 million killed in World War II would agree.
Moron.
Get your facts straight. BSO does not see a penny of this money, it all goes to the County.
Help me Howie should just put a CC: Bill Gelin on the bottom of all of his letters now.
So, did Steve Michaelson or Cathy Keuthan write the above for Howard?????
What exactly is Howard doing for the poor and downtrodden? He makes $130,000 a year as Public Defender and is seldom seen in the office, has not handled an actual case in at least 15 years. Plus he is a TV personality and must be paid for that as well. How do you figure he has such great character? His 'chiefs' who insulate him in the PD office are highly paid for little work. Sounds like political patronage to me.
PD office has no money for staff - all kinds of cutbacks - why not cut the ERU interviews at jail? This is a mockery of Gideon.
More Soddom and Gommorah at that office than Gideon, anyway.
Does the fact that the County gets the money after BSO makes the report make it O.K.?
I did not imply that BSO actions were in any way comparable to the NAZI's. I was responding to the post at 2:24 that states "Social Darwinism, I say." I specifically stated "Look what that got us."
Do not worry boys and girls. We are compiling a list and checking it more than twice to make sure Howie and company is nice.
We will have a new post from time to time with names, dates of birth, case numbers for the new breed of wealthy clients represented by the PD's Office.
The ERU system will be brought to light in due time my friends.
The press will hopefully have the stones to investigate this little, soon to be big, taxpayer scam. Peace out haters and money grabbers.
to 12:29 and 2:59
unless ur ross or marilyn u have no reason to have such hate for me. u have no idea what i do for a living, but u run ur mouth and show ur ignorance. if u believe me to be on ssi and not work show ur proof and bring ur hate out in the open, u are so sick that if ur not careful u will never be healed and die in misery. u might do well to put ur energy fighting the corruption in the system. then again u probably are the corruption
To 1:28am
I'm sure that the PD would welcome any effort to check the background of their appointed client for indigent qualifications. Your frustrations should not totally rest on the PD office, in my opinion, here is why.
Considering the budget crunch and its effects on the office, state and private bar - its a necessity that enforcement of qualifications is paramount. Their felony case count is pushing nearly 150 per atty not because they want to represent all, but because the clerks office says the people are qualified. Thats done just by a scan of a paper in court. The abuses are evident, talk about a scam, there is your story.
The PD doesn't have the money to check backgrounds on each person, the clerk will say they don't either. The state isn't willing to create an office that will. So then I ask, what good is the affidavit of indigence that defendant signs if there is no checks and balance there?
As a former PD, I saw the abuses, Mark Speiser can verify the pd client I had back in 1992 who passed out in the courtroom. When the paramedics emptied his pockets he had a $10,000 wad of cash in his pocket. My ore tenus motion to withdraw was granted. There were many others, just not to that magnitude.
Not only is that a fraud upon the court, thats a fraud upon the taxpayers.
If you think its bad now, just wait as we drift deeper into the recession. Its just natural that money will not be spent here, but instead on basic necessities. The PD clients will grow again.
What about the bond situation, with the push to get as many as possible on pre-trial release? They are hiring more pre-trial officers, call Brandy or one of the other bond agencies and ask them about their business. They will probably tell you its down 50%. Whether a few bad incidents that will end up in the news - committed while someone who is released on pre-trial make a difference, I doubt it. The machine is moving and if they think that it will save money, there will be non monetary costs.
I'm sure that the calls you receive for a bond reduction have slowed way down.
Now throw into the mix all the attorneys who were sustaining themselves on spd appointments. I have noticed that many have brought the fee structure that they were receiving from the state into their private practice.
By the way, how many Law Schools do we need in Florida, let alone South Florida.
When it comes to Dade and Broward lawyers practice being separated by county line, if you have noticed, its not that apparent any longer.
See, our profession also is in a cycle, we will have to adjust our practice. To make it through the recession in south Florida, many will have to be able to operate on less. Remember, Florida is a big state, not all areas are the same.
Good Luck.
So, the release of these people "results in there [sic] getting arrested for loitering, trespass and many other contrived charges", but the Sheriff's Office should take time away from housing criminals to fill "out the required paperwork to reinstate" benefits? Seems to me that IF you're correct that these "people" have time to loiter, trespass and get re-arrested, then certainly they have time to complete the necessary paperwork themselves. Personally, I think it's pretty arrogant to think the Sheriff's Office should be help responsible to assist CRIMINALS in any way. What ever happened to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? These "people" should get off their butts, and if they are legitimately disabled, find a way to the local SSA and loiter there until they get assistance from SSA - assistance provided to these "people" at taxpayer cost. Why create more details for the Sheriff's Office, only to result in higher costs and taxes for a service that is already available? Think before you write please.