SUN SENTINEL
Feds: 2 Broward attorneys enabled massive Ponzi scheme

"Two Broward County  attorneys enabled a massive Ponzi scheme that cost investors worldwide more than $800 million, according to a federal indictment unsealed today in Miami federal court...

"A federal magistrate set a $900,000 bond for McNerney and $2 million for Livoti. Also charged in the case are brothers Joel Steinger and Steven Steiner, who are expected to make initial court appearances this week."

Indictment

BSO envisions pre-arrest diversion program for homeless in Oakland Park

"The blueprint entails deferring formal charges against people detained in Oakland Park for misdemeanors classified as petty crimes such as trespassing if they consent to enter and complete a program designed to help them use county services to gain permanent housing and jobs, said David Scharf, division manager of BSOs Department of Community Control, Day Reporting and Reentry Division in Pompano Beach...

When advised of BSO's plans, Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said he preferred such a diversionary program be managed by a social service agency.

"It's a big step forward. But is it the right step? I'm not so sure," he said."

Ex-felons can't get jobs after convictions years ago

"For an ex-felon in Florida to find a job these days is tough — nearly impossible.

"Basically, nobody will hire you," said Stephanie Porta, spokeswoman for Orlando ACORN, a community-based advocacy organization that works with ex-felons looking for employment. "Even people with little felonies are not finding jobs."...

Florida, home to more than 600,000 released felons, should follow the lead of other states that offer employers tax incentives to hire them, said state Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando.

And it needs to revisit a bill that stalled in the Florida Senate, he said. That legislation would have made it easier for released felons to have their criminal records expunged, Siplin said. Such a move would allow them to legally say on an application form that they have not been convicted of a felony.

"A person who hasn't committed a crime in 10 or 15 years, they should be able to resume their lives," Siplin said."

Mike Mayo: Swap Shop owner enjoys leeway not granted to others (Once Upon A Time)

"Whatever sparked Swap Shop owner Preston Henn's behavior last Friday, this much is pretty clear. If you or I had allegedly struck four Broward Sheriff's deputies and kicked out the window of a police cruiser, we wouldn't be spending our Baker Act evaluation period in a hospital of our family's choosing.

We wouldn't be waiting for the Sheriff's Office to finish its investigation and the State Attorney's Office to decide whether to file criminal charges before being arrested.

"In every case, and I mean every case, that I've seen like this in my 26 years here, they get taken to the jail," said Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein ... "Clearly he got preferential treatment because he's rich and powerful and he's friends with rich and powerful people."

Henn is a loyal contributor to local politicians. He contracts with the Sheriff's Office to use off-duty deputies for security at his massive flea market/circus/movie emporium on Sunrise Boulevard. His attorney, William Scherer, is Sheriff Ken Jenne's former law partner.

After a dispute and possible assault on a vendor, Henn ran away from deputies, barricaded himself in his office, then was shocked with a Taser. Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cheryl Stopnick said Henn struck four deputies. He kicked out a cruiser window before going to Plantation General Hospital. He was later transferred to Imperial Point Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, closer to his 12,000-square-foot mansion on Hillsboro Mile.

Apparently, the richer and more powerful you are, the more discretion you get."

Perry Thurston named to head up Dems' redistricting fight

"Citing his legal background, House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands, D-Weston, appointed Thurston as the Democrats' lead liaison to the Florida House Office of Reapportionment. His role will include "coordinating with staff and other House members the Democratic Caucus’ interests in matters concerning congressional and legislative reapportionment and redistricting," according to a statement."

Lazarus orders Wasserstrom to pay full $23,000 bill

DAILY BUSINESS REVIEW
Justice system seeks to avoid state’s budget knife

“We have a financial crisis that is threatening to become a constitutional crisis,” said state Rep. Perry Thurston, a Broward Democrat and attorney whose district includes Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Lauderhill and unincorporated parts of the county.

“We’re treating the judicial branch as if it were an agency, when it’s really a separate branch of government.”...

Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein ... bemoaned a sheaf of newly criminalized offenses that cost time and money to prosecute and defend, “including whether your pants are being worn too low on your hips,” he said. Lawmakers “pass all these laws but at the same time they’re not willing to fund the system. It is an equation for disaster.”

Newest justice Labarga doesn’t want to be pinned down by labels

"Labarga, who made a key ruling against holding a presidential re-vote due to the confusing “butterfly” ballot used in Palm Beach County during the 2000 race between Republican nominee George W. Bush and Democratic nominee Al Gore, said he already knows Justice Barbara Pariente of West Palm Beach and recently named Justice Charles Canady and has met Chief Justice Peggy Quince. Labarga’s name was among the candidates for a Supreme Court vacancy when Crist chose Canady in 2008 as the first of the three appointments Crist has made in recent weeks.

Labarga had been among the recommended candidates for a seat on the 4th DCA two times before Crist selected him for the appellate bench. The third time, he was nominated. Labarga joked that his commission on the 4th DCA takes effect Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. and his Supreme Court Commission takes effect exactly 24 hours later, so he will be a member of the 4th DCA for one day before he resigns.

He said he knows that the appellate court has photographs of all its judges on the wall of the court library and said “I want mine there” alongside the others, even though he will only be a judge there for a single day." (follow link for audio interview with Labarga)

Holland & Knight, Ruden use models instead of ugly ass lawyers on the WWW

"The images of several well-groomed, professional-looking people permeate the pages on the Web site of the Holland & Knight law firm. But would-be clients should not seek to speak with any of those people about their legal needs when contemplating whether to hire the Tampa, Fla.-based firm.

All of those good-looking folks shown on virtually all of the Web site's main pages -- blacks and whites, males and females, younger people and gray-haired ones -- are paid models. Not one is a lawyer with the firm.

The same goes for the home page of the Web site of Ruden McCloskey, a Fort Lauderdale-based firm with offices around the state. The trio of smiling, professional-looking people -- a black male, a white male and a white female -- also are paid models, not lawyers, a firm spokesman acknowledged."

Kuehne case ‘hanging on by a thread’

"The prosecution of Miami attorney Benedict P. Kuehne hasn’t gone well for the federal government. In fact, it’s arguably been a disaster."

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Editorial: Labarga right pick for court

"Gov. Charlie Crist's appointment of Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga to the Florida Supreme Court on Friday is particularly significant. It adds a well-qualified, experienced judge to the state's highest court, and it adds diversity to a court that lacks a Hispanic justice. It defuses a fight over a tainted judicial nominating process calculated to favor a top aide to former Gov. Jeb Bush. And it demonstrates the Republican governor's willingness to stand up to pressure from within his own party and independently reach his own conclusions."

Judicial diversity is a priority

"Diversity in its broadest sense is extremely important in judicial selection. This includes diversity of race, gender, ethnicity and experience.

Judicial decisionmaking is enhanced by the diversity brought to the process. Similarly, confidence in judicial decisionmaking is enhanced by having a judiciary that reflects the diversity of Florida's population."

NEW TIMES
Blogger Chaz Stevens brought down a couple Deerfield Beach politicians

"It was Stevens, after all, who filed complaints with the State Attorney's Office that led to the arrests of the mayor and the commissioner. If he hadn't done that, Deerfield Beach wouldn't have made news across the state these past few weeks. He's stunning proof that a regular guy (though nobody would ever call Stevens "regular") can beat City Hall."

The Dirty Dozen of 2008

"Miles Austin Forman This wealthy Broward power player triggered the biggest mass eviction in the county's history this year when he told more than 900 families to move out of a trailer park he owns in Davie. Some Palma Nova residents had been in the park for decades. Amid the panic, Forman offered to "help" his tenants by giving them $1,000 to $1,500 for each trailer that left the premises in a timely manner. At first, park managers said this "generous" deal would only be good for a few weeks. The promise of a small payout created a frenzy. There was just one catch: Those taking the cash had to sign waivers saying they, and their descendants, would never sue Forman. We should mention that Forman also owns Ferncrest, a small utility that provides the park with "potable" water. Ferncrest drinking water was found in 2004 to have exceeded legal limits for cancer-causing chemicals by nearly threefold. The contamination dates back several decades. And, yes, Forman knew all that time that the Ferncrest water wasn't pure. Residents got their first official warning from the utility in June 2006."

PANAMA CITY NEWS HERALD
Incoming State Attorney Glenn Hess has inherited an arsenal

"As many as 41 weapons owned by the State Attorney's Office will have to be turned in by outgoing employees to the new administration, according to SAO records. The weapons include 12 shotguns, two military-style Bushmaster riles, three field or "deer" rifles and 23 handguns, including two with night-vision scopes.

The weapons cost the office $20,985, according to the records. A total of 28 were bought during or prior to Jim Appleman's 24-year term in office. More than $11,900 was spent on the other 13, including both Bushmasters, by Steve Meadows' office in 2005 and 2007.

All the guns are tagged for "investigative" purposes but are assigned to other members of the staff, including Deputy State Attorney Bill Lewis and office manager Randy Berling."

LOS ANGELES TIMES
L.A. County judges may face a steep cut in pay

"With the benefits, judges in L.A. County each receive a total of $249,413 annually. By contrast, the base salary for judges statewide is $192,386, including benefits. Although some counties provide additional money to judges -- as much as $20,000 -- Los Angeles County judges receive by far the most."

Judges rule three-strikes sentence unconstitutional

"California's three-strikes sentencing law suffered a blow Tuesday when a federal appeals court struck down as unconstitutional a 28-years-to-life sentence for a sex offender who failed to register with local police at the correct time of year...

Efforts to ease the three-strikes rule have largely failed. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in two challenges in March 2003 that it was a state legislature's right to determine how best to deter criminal recidivism.

California voters approved a 2000 ballot initiative that provides drug treatment instead of life imprisonment for most third strikes involving drug possession. But voters spurned an initiative four years ago that would have required the third felony to be violent or serious to justify a harsh sentence."