JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Friday, November 03, 2006

ATTORNEY SUSPENDED

If you have been reading the comments section you know that former candidate for Public Defender Gabriel Martin was suspended on an emergency basis by the Florida Bar. The order allows Mr. Martin to complete his work in a lengthy trial in Broward County, but he is otherwise suspended. The readers have posted links to a Daily Business Review Article. There are allegations about trust account violations in relation to a Title Company Mr. Martin may have been running.

Let us be perfectly clear:

1) We do not know Mr. Martin.
2) We know nothing about the case.
3)We have been otherwise occupied this week and could not devote any time to researching the issue.
4) We posted a comment asking any reader who had more knowledge to email us and we would put the information on the front page.

Unlike the Kennedy assassination that has also had the readers occupied on the comments section, there is no conspiracy by us to cover-up Mr. Martin's suspension.

To paraphrase Richard Millhouse: There is no cover-up and we are not crooks.

There. It's up for the world to read. Have at it.

See you in Court Monday.

Make sure to read our football picks this weekend. We are 9-2 over the last two weeks and hotter than Ms. Nesmith standing in a long line outside the courthouse in August.

Make sure to come to Tobacco Road Monday for what is shaping up as a birthday party and roast of Sy Gaer. There are sure to be more war stories per cubic foot at Tobacco Road Monday night than anyone ever thought possible.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow...rump awakes from his slumber...go heat.

Anonymous said...

looks like Gabe is banned from a lot more than the PD's office

Anonymous said...

Gabe is an idiot. An opportunist who got caught with his fingers in the cookie jar. I guess he'll soon be blaming alcohol for his problems a la Arza, Foley, etc.

Anonymous said...

i love politics. you people are just mad because he tried to "steal" from you in 04.

Anonymous said...

also, brummer and co. loved gabe before he ran for p.d.. he was your little golden cuban boy. fact.

Rumpole said...

How about some details?

Anonymous said...

sad about gabe. seemed like a nice honarable person.
funny if he lied and violated 20 court orders and got called out by third dca like alex michaels they would have made him attend a class.

for mixing up his trust fund, he is finished.

this profession really sucks

Anonymous said...

Just blame it on the RAIN AIN AIN...

Anonymous said...

MUST SEE MOVIE COCAINE COWBOYS

This is a documentary that must be seen by all denizens of Jutice Building. young and old should see this movie. The young to see how the business of cocaine works and how the cocaine gets to the streets on the coke cases they will process through the system as c pds/asa's. They should also see it becuase they will get an idea of what the old time criminal defense attorneys are talking about when they lament the end of eighties and the fact that they blew all the money they made on 2 wives, lots of strippers and coke.

the old timers will love this becuase it brillaintly recreates an era that they lived through. Luis Casuso is in the movie talking about Jorge Ayala, the man who caused the greatest scandal in SAO history. Former MDPD Homicide Sergeant Al Singleton has alot of screen time Detailing the famous Dadeland murder in 1979 and othr famous colombian murders. Sam Burstyn pontiifcates mightily about the coke wars effect on the morality of Miami right before he got nabbed for laundering money.

best of all Mark Eiglasrh and David "fed" Markus were not practicing then to have thier publicists get them screen time in the movie.

Overall a must see movie.

Anonymous said...

Stop stealing my lines.

Anonymous said...

Seems to be a bit more than mixing up his trust funds.

Anonymous said...

didnt someone sue the SAO for sexual harrassment of a major a crimes secrectary? was this what lead to the downfall of michael band?

Anonymous said...

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15916248.htm

Rothenberg support comes out in support of YES vote:

Retain Rothenberg

The Miami Herald was correct in recommending that Judge Leslie B. Rothenberg be retained on the Third District Court of Appeal. She is an excellent judge who has earned the respect of fellow judges and attorneys that appear before her.

She is intelligent, logical, analytical, insightful, professional and ethical. She treats everyone that appears before her with respect. She is dedicated to fairly interpreting the law and applying it in a just and impartial manner. What else could anyone ask for from a judge?

Voters should vote Yes to retaining Rothenberg.

ERVIN A. GONZALEZ, Coral Gables

Anonymous said...

hey you forgot one:

"She is a Bigot...."

Anonymous said...

say no more just read this

http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/Web_Public_Stories/Rothenberg_JQC_Complaint.html

Anonymous said...

yea... gabe is in a pile of shit... I have a bit of inside knowledge ... and because of flipped co-defendant secrecy... I cannot be completely forthcoming. Rest assured... charges will be filed and Gabe will never practice law again. hopefully, he'll escape prison, but I doubt it...

Anonymous said...

Rumpole:
Gabe and Lynn Overmann were on the hiring conferences at the same time they were ploting against Brummer. Gabe had left the public defender's office to get a masters degree from Georgetown and they accepted him back to the office in 2000 with open arms. He was being groomed to be a straight version of Carlos Martinez. Gabe was selected to run against Brummer, it was not his idea. The reason Brummer and Co. were so freaked out about it was because the lawyers who were supporting Gabe, an independent convert to the Republican party, were radical white and black public defenders. Perhaps Capi can verify that his supporters, in 2000 and 2001, tried at least 50% of all the felony trials at the PDO. And that is a very conservative estimate. They were also freaked because they(members of 5 west)had not fought for anything in a long, long time. Not to mention, the whole ordeal was quite embarrassing. It seemed like every month Brummer was in the paper for a mishap.
And that's why Gabe's suffering gives them great joy.

Anonymous said...

I'm an ASA. I have no bias in favor of, or against, BHB. In fact, it seems like many of the criticisms leveled against BHB may have some validity. But, that being said, I can say with great confidence that there is no way Gabe Martin was (or is) qualified to be the elected public defender of Dade County. The fact that he and his supported so ardently believed in his campaign speaks either to their own misguided egos, or to their own massive underestimating of the experience and skills required to be the Public Defender.

Anonymous said...

Being the Public Defender is not that difficult. If it is, then why is Brummer never at work? Look, I'm not saying the Gabe was qualified, I don't even really know the guy. But I have worked at the office for eleven years and it ain't rocket science... Your an ASA so you must understand that funding is, and has always been, based on a 2 to 1 ratio. For every 2 dollars that you get, we get 1 dollar. In fact your boss and my boss lobby together. As for Gabe's supporters, none of them thought that he was the best choice to become the PD. He was the only guy who would run.

Anonymous said...

the website for the movie www.cocainecowboys.com is awesome - interactive stuff - including locations of murders, drug sales, etc.......

Anonymous said...

Has anyone seen Borat? It is the greatest comedy in a long time.

Rumpole said...

As this blog approaches its one year anniversary next week, the one constant surprising fact is that it was the controversy and in-fighting at the PD's office and not the SAO that dominated the blog. As a private attorney on the outside, I heard the constant grumbling at the SAO's office. Nary a peep about problems in the PDs office. And yet when given an outlet to vent feelings, it was the PD's who engaged in a very open feud. Never would have expected it. As long time and careful readers of the blog know, one of our motto's is SOMETIMES WRONG BUT NEVER IN DOUBT.

Anonymous said...

Is it worth seeing on the big screen. Borat is.

Anonymous said...

we are better at argument then they are. don't you no that by now rump?

Anonymous said...

at the end of they day, the public defender's office in dade county is the best place to learn how to become a criminal defense atty in the nation. could they benifit from strong leadership? yes. but if you force yourself to try cases, you can become a great trial lawyer.

Anonymous said...

things are not that bad at the state. we have laeser, hogue, waxman, levine, etc. etc.. they try a lot of cases and are very willing to teach young lawyers. but the pay sucks.

Anonymous said...

take the fish this week.

Anonymous said...

To all you BHB bashers, you don't get it. I don't give a damn about how often he is physically there. I care that he brings home the bacon and runs one of the best defender offices in the nation. He consistently hires free-thinkers, people who are willing to question authority and actually represent someone against hostile judges, police and a public trying to cut corners around the constitution. It's no wonder he has people on his staff who question what he does and why. Sure they bitch, everyone bitches about their jobs, and perhaps this blog gives them a place to vent their frustrations, but you can be damn sure there's a reason some of the finest trial lawyers in the country emerge out of his office.

Anonymous said...

i supported gabe and i agree with you to a degree. a lot of it also is that we have the right to a speedy trial and depositions. miami is a great place to be a criminal defense lawyer. but you must agree with me that the office is not what it once was. that is a fact.

Anonymous said...

nothing is what it once was - move on

Anonymous said...

i have. all should forgive.


now its all about the bling and the fame yo.

Anonymous said...

I supported Gabe and one of the major reasons was that in the U.S. of A no one should be re-elected
over and over again with no opposition whatsoever.

The reason none of us Gabe supporters had any problem with fighting against the old man BHB
is that he is an absentee leader.
He has no clue what goes on on a daily basis and instead has left
that responsibility to Weed, who
no one in the Justice building would mistake for a great legal
mind, great leader or even a great teacher.

Then you have Carlos Martinez as the 3rd in charge who again no one
in the Justice building would mistake for a great legal mind, great leader or even a great teacher.

The only person at the top who commands respect legally is Rory,
but as we have seen from the overall opinions of bloggers on this blog, Mr. Danish is not exactly working hard anymore.

They've had plenty of worthy lawyers, people that those in the
trenches respected and would have
followed - Rashad El-Amin, Ray Taseff, Michael McDonald, Paul
Donnelly, Bill Barzee etc. - but instead of promoting these people BHB treated them like crap and
basically forced them out. The
issue is one of letting the cream
rise to the top. BHB's method is
instead to get rid of the cream
because it would mean having to cut
the salaries of his buddies who are waiting for their 30 years to
run.

Anonymous said...

great comment, except you never name lawyers here - let the HATE begin!

Anonymous said...

I was an ASA and handled many cases in which Gabe was the APD. Gabe is a nice guy and pulls the same shit that most APDs pull, and a lot of private attorneys pull. The nice thing about Gabe is he was not a bleeding heart liberal and when he pulled his shit, he told you to your face that he was doing it.

Anonymous said...

gabe is fucked.
brummer is a loser.
captain is afraid.
rumpole is afraid,
riddler in 08.

Anonymous said...

7:22---you're right (except about Taseff.......he is an excellent trial lawyer, but, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him).

I wish someone of consequence would step up and run against Bennett. Unfortunately, the ones we'd all support from outside the office prefer judgeships (ie. Reemberto Diaz) or making money. Too bad. I can think of dozens of people who would do a better job than Bennett.

Anonymous said...

gad‧fly  /ˈgædËŒflaɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[gad-flahy] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun, plural -flies. 1. any of various flies, as a stable fly or warble fly, that bite or annoy domestic animals.
2. a person who persistently annoys or provokes others with criticism, schemes, ideas, demands, requests, etc.

Anonymous said...

KFR, when are you going to charge BHB and Carlos Martinez? Is it always about politics with you? What say you Ms. Happy Hour? Herald, could you ask KFR what about BHB and Carlos Martinez?

Anonymous said...

riddler in 08. drugs sex and jury trials.

Anonymous said...

to the child who said KFR should "charge" BHB and Martinez - with what?

Really a rhetorical question

Anonymous said...

I guess they mean with election violations. Never gonna happen. The one guy who lucked out big time was Bobby Arron. He dodged a bullet. Had whats his name told the truth about his Chicago wanabee mobster act-he would have been charged with a felony. Bobby your lucky the kid was not a narc.

Anonymous said...

Charged with what? Well, Carlos Martinez for recruiting people against Gabe in the office and out. Currently, plotting to run to replace BHB. BHB for being an idiot who stored political signs in a government building for decades, not a year or two. For abusing his power, for running good lawyers out of his office and moreover for plainly being a super hard worker who collects a salary for doing a million trials, client interviews as well as administrative work while running a smooth campaign. HELLO! When is the FDLE going to catch this guy? Charlie Crist! Hey, Charlie! You got the power man, do it! No more comp. time KFR. That BS cannot fly with Charlie Crist. Don't you know the H is silent as well as invisible? It really is Charlie Christ!

Anonymous said...

I have been at the PD's Office for ten years and I've seen great things happen here and I've seen things happen that I don't agree with. I supported Bennett but I believe that anyone has the right to run for office against an elected incumbent. What I observed during THIS PARTICULAR race was that Gabe and the majority of those who supported him were, for lack of a better term, "playing dirty". They lied about people - often disparaging their reputations. They threatened people - both professionally if they were to win as well as physically. Both happened to me by people close to Gabe. They were inexperienced attorneys who thought that becasue they went to trial, they were legal stars. What they didn't realize was that you actually had to be PREPARED for those trials.

As far as being on a hiring committee, I have been on many. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are the greatest legal talent in the office, it could be that you are asked in order to have a diverse representative group. They don't want all of the hiring committee to be people who have been here for 30 years. They also want some people in there who are younger who can gage whether this person will be a good fit with the division attorneys.

I have done some checking. Gabe attended Georgetown but never graduated and never recieved his L.LM. So, at best, he misled everyone. At worst, he downright lied. (unless he has completed the coursework within the time since I checked)

While some of the people listed by a previous blogger as being legally talented are accurate, some were baffling. Barzee? Overman? My opinion is different.

I agree that Rory's legal mind is amazing. I do not agree that he has gotten lazy. I know Rory, he has helped me with my cases on numerous occasions, and I have seen him at work. I'm not sure there's anyone in this office who works HARDER than he does. And, for the record, I have never seen him in ABP and I have never seen him eat a danish. Not in 10 years that I have known him.

Come on. Political signs in the building? I have never seen any. But maybe I am too busy representing my clients to run around and look for any. If they were here, and if that's your biggest complaint, please! I would say being threatened with professional and physical harm is more of a "campaign violation" than that. Maybe I should have called KFR.....

Anyway, I have said enough. Bottom line is if someone wants to run for office; any office, go for it. Just do it fairly, do it honorably, and be ethical.

GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY!