Miami has a long and storied tradition of providing, if nothing else, a certain flavor and uniqueness to our Union of States. There was the February 1933 failed assassination on President elect Franklin Roosevelt; stories about shady people and a Miami/Cuban connection in the conspiracies surrounding the assassination of president Kennedy; several Miamians were identified and investigated as the “plumbers” in the Watergate scandal. Our own SAO chief investigator's look into the Plumbers and the money gained national attention: Martin Dardis's investigation was portrayed in the book and movie All The President's Men.
No one can forget the " Hanging Chads" and the contested 2000 presidential election. Currently the Padilla prosecution makes national headlines about every other day.
Miami and Florida seem to attract a rogues gallery of colorful characters.
Yesterday, the NY Times reported the death of one of the central figures in Watergate: former CIA officer E. Howard Hunt, who passed away yesterday in our fair city at the North Shore Medical Center.
Hunt was a CIA officer involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion, and later was hired as a $100.00/a day “security consultant” for the Nixon white house.
The Times had this quote: “This fellow Hunt,” President Richard M. Nixon muttered a few days after the June 1972 break-in, “he knows too damn much.”
Hunt was not a native Miamian, but he spent much of his life here, and his death reminds us that our town has always been known for its collection of colorful figures who have, and will continue, to cast a large, if not unexpected shadow on national events.
It’s why living and working here is so much fun.
See You In Court.
When you see something that is not right, not fair, find a way to get in the way and cause trouble. Congressman John Lewis
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.
53 comments:
Maybe that's the answer we all need: FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Hunt was implicated in the Kennedy assination itself and found liable in a civil case filed in the Miami federal courts. Check out the book "Plausible Denial" by Mark Lane.
Art Koch should fry with Chavez.
I am so sorry that I did not get to help out on the cross examination of Mr. Koch in the Chavez hearing. He and i have some inter-personal karma that needs a resolution.
I would have been able to ask one of my favorite movie lines, when confronting him with some documents that contradict his present testimony.
The line was from "Witness for the Prosecution" (no surprise there), when Laughton asks Dietrich:
"WERE YOU LYING THEN, OR ARE YOU LYING NOW; OR ARE YOU NOT, IN FACT, A CHRONIC AND HABITUAL LIAR?"
I think that Rumpole is none other than Judge Scott Silverman.
He is a historian, an intellectual and loves to write.
I know it is him....!!!!
Admit it Judge....
Silverman was never in the MJB before he got on the bench + would not know any of the charachters or stories from that era.
judge scott silverman's step dad is sy gaer though! judge silverman has studied relentlessly to keep up with the history of the justice building back 100 years and has studied the history of the state attorney's office. moreover, he was a long time bailiff for a well known criminal court judge there? just a thought.
Witness for the prosecution was just on channel 2 PBS the other night. It is a classic and the first time I ever saw it. Great flick.
Here are 2 questions for Abe: did you know Martin Dardis when he was working on the Watergate stuff?
2) Is there a special crime for comitting or procuring or suborning perjury in a capital case?
If so, should Koch and can Koch be prosecuted and what would the prosecution seek as a reasonable sentence?
Of course if your office is already about to do this, I understand if you cannot answer this.
I heard that George Cheolokus, the prosecutor, had a .085 blood 3 hours after the accident. Not good.
Let's not put Abe on the hot seat, I am sure that someone thought of this already.
Really interesting statues concerning Perjury in a capital proceeding and the Statute of Limitations: 775.15(6), 837.02(2) and 837.021(2).
Koch could be really screwed.
He can still talk about Watergate. The statute of limitations has expired on that.
If you had to choose one investigator to find the witness and get the statement:
Martin Dardis or Ray Havens?
Abe?
Scott Hidnert along with Jose Elortigui and Albert Quirantes (the Q) on behalf of Art Koch. Waive reading stand mute, demand discovery, trial by jury, and can we get a wh and no school on that?
Here's the Deal: Reeimberto Diaz: Long Time defense attorney; good judge; tried his share of murder cases; has been known to throw a few back after a case; tough guy-
SO WHY IN THE NAME OF PINK IS HIS DOOR DECORATED WITH CUTSY HAPPY VALENTINES DAY FRILLY POSTERS?
AINT DAT SWEET?
Bennett. WAKE UP MON. IT'S ALL COLLAPSING AROUND YOU. EVERYTHING YOU BUILT, ALL YOU WORKED FOR, THE CUSHY BEEMER SUITABLE FOR SLEEPING IN DURING THE DAY. IT'S ALL GOING AWAY.
Rumour has it that the same committee that punished Koch is gearing up to punish PD Todd Michaels for blogging during the day.
What Au Bon Pan needs is a good steak sandwich. Fried onions. Some mushrooms, cheese, decent hot sauce. Piping hot off the grill. Ahhh...I can smell it now.
Would almost make up for the pain of trying a case before Adrien.
Re: Re-Emberto: Its his hot J.A. who put up the frilly pink stuff.
to the guy who KEEPS writing about Bennett and the PD's Office:
Please, get a life. It's old already. Either you did a poor job and got shown the door or you left and were no prize while here. Either way, move on. You sound pathetic, small, unintelligent, bitter, and generally like a miserable person.
at least I dont sleep in my car during the day.
4:04 - Anyone who knew both Dardis and Havens -- and I worked with both -- knows that answer: Dardis. Marty was an old-fashioned investigator who had a sixth sense for the truth and knew how to follow the money. He'd get you your witness and statement every time. George Ray Havens had neither instincts nor success at gathering evidence.
Ah, NO! Why stop talking about Brummer? He is wrothless and needs to be indicted as well as replaced. Hey, he can take KRF with him as well. If you do not like it, then too bad. Free country and free blog. Now, go sleep in your State car.
BRUMMER! WAKE UP MON. IT'S ALL COLLAPSING AROUND YOU. EVERYTHING YOU BUILT, ALL YOU WORKED FOR, THE CUSHY BEEMER SUITABLE FOR SLEEPING IN DURING THE DAY. IT'S ALL GOING AWAY.
You are so sad. I predict your initials arrrreeeee...... L.R.
Came to me in a vision.
Aren't you worried about the FBI???
Pathetic little man - scratch that - pathetic little boy.
I give up. Can I have a better clue about L.R.?
leslie rothenberg?
yesterday someone said:
"Phil, why do you always answer and write so damn much? You make me sick. Go find some clients."
Gosh ya just took the words right out of my mouth.
Phil the blog has spoken please call Bellsouth and have your internet disconnected and save us your future rambles
Migna Llorens Sanchez and Steve Milian believe they will make good circuit judges,while the people of Miami Dade have just spoken this past September.Looks like we will have a similar line-up this years of "wanna-bees".
L.R. = Lonnie Richardson
LR is just as sad a case as LO, another hack ex-PD who burned her bridges too. Maybe they should join GM in business. Call that firm Arwe, Bitter & Howe.
I thought we had to wait to 2008 for judicial election? Is there 2007 judicial elections?
Is a "imberto" done over a "reimberto" ?
I think this Scott Silverman as Rumpole think has legs.
your mom is rumpole. there, i said it.
Is Abe L. single. Young hot private attorney who loves tall, standofish preppy types who is aloof, arogant but pretends to be modest and fatherly. I love him.
Hey PD. I'm the one posting about Sleepy Bennett. I am not LR, Lonnie Richardson, L, R, GM, Gabe, Gabe Martin, or the like. For a bunch of criminal defense attorneys, you people sure like to make lots of unproven allegations.
Plus, I may not always agree with Phil, but at least he has the courage to post his name, not like you cowards who take anonymous shots at him.
Not single since 1970. Not preppy. Never modest. But I love him, too.
P.S. Even in jest my ego needs little boosting, but thanks.
Dardis or Havens?
Gerstein or Reno?
Reno or Rundle?
dardis, gerstein, reno.
ray havens claim to fame was tapping phones of asas and judges.
kfr wont back up her asas and cant keep her own house in order.
Judge Scott Silverman is sitting right now at his IBM SELECTRIC typewriter and is preparing tomorrow's red hot edition of the "BLOG". Mark my word. I am credible. It is mild mannered Judge Silverman. He knows where all of the skeletons are buried at the justice bldg. Remember, you heard it from me first. sincerely, fake phil
Hmmmmmm.... the first time I heard about the blog it was from who?????
An ASA? No.
An APD? No.
Phil R., Lurvey, Shuminer? No, no and no.
Judge Scott Silverman would be the correct answer.
Reasons I think Rumpole could be Scott Silverman:
- He is a techie and could certainly work his way around a computer.
- Long time REG bldg occupant as County Court Judge, Administrative Judge, Circuit Judge.
- Knows all the gossip at the SAO since his wife still works there.
-Big Miami-Dade Courts history buff.
-Is over in civil now, so you know he has plenty of time with no more morning arraignment calendars.
-Has a very good sense of humor and could be the author of some of the Rumpole prose.
-Who else, before the blog was up, would know what a Rumpole of the Bailey was?
I know Judge Silverman very well and it is probably not him, though. Damn it.
Although I cant confirm or deny he was not involved in the Kennedy assasination.
THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
The Circuit Court judicial races, much like the Presidential primary races, seem to be starting earlier and earlier.
This week, candidate Stephen Millan filed his papers to run in Group 63 of the Circuit Court.
The seat is presently held by Judge Jeffrey Rosinek, "The Drug Court Judge". Those in the know, know that Judge Rosinek will be retiring from the bench in 2008, and leave his seat open to newcomers.
Millan joins Migna Sanchez-Llorens, who filed in Group 63 of the Circuit Court. That seat is held by Jon Gordon.
With over 40 seats up for election in the Circuit and County Court, expect many more contested races.
CAPTAIN OUT .............
"What I can reveal is that I am a practicing criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida who has the same high opinion of Judges, Prosecutors, Civil Lawyers, and stuffed shirts as my fictitious alter ego. "
THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
While Judge Silverman is a interesting thought as to "who is Rumpole", readers may want to review Rumpole's bio, which, as excerpted above, reads that he is a criminal defense lawyer.
CAPTAIN OUT ..........
Judge Silverman is the one who first told me about the blog and he knows everything about the justice bldg. he is intrigued and fascinated by the history of the building, the personnel, etc. he has read every piece of literature about the court. HE is so honest and his integrity would always filter anything negative about anyone. He is definitely "rumpole" and the herald is going to out him very soon as they have been working on this story....
Gabriel Martin for PD in 2008!
Lonnie Richardson for SA in 2008!
Ivan Fernandez for Chief Judge in 2008!
Ah, those heady days of Watergate. A very junior prosecutor like me trying to snoop for any way 'in' to the case that brought down the President. But the real work was always at the top, with Gerstein and Carhart actually running the case, the facts + law in a very hands-on manner.
Marty Dardis had all of the skills of a great investigator. Real sense of reading people, street smarts, dogged tenacity, and the ability to put it together to prove a crime. None better in my years. No others really close.
Busy watching 'All the President's Men' on AMC - brings back the days when journalists were at their zenith.
-- and the SAO was so small you could hardly call the structure a bureaucracy. 37 lawyers, not 300. A 'band of brothers' who knew each other's cases well enough to step into the breach.
We had 'vertical filing'. You screened your own cases, and filed only those you felt you could prove to a jury. Caseloads were LOW because if you filed garbage it was your case for trial.
It must be late, I am starting to lament the 'good old days'. On the other hand, what Gerstein and Dardis did led to the imprisonment of two Attorneys General of the United States, and the resignation of the President.
There have been no such stories since -- and I hope for our country's sake, there never will be again.
George Ray Havens claim to fame was or, more appropriately, came as a result of his work with the then Metro Dade Public Safety Department’s Organized Crime Bureau “OCB,” a unit created by and under the supervision of Steve Bertucelli, after Wilson Purdy, a retired FBI Agent was brought in as Director of the Metro Dade Police to clean up Dade County, after the elected Sheriff was abolished. George Ray was a lieutenant in the unit. At the time, with the perceived mandate, OCB undertook some really “intense” investigations and employed “creative” techniques. The primary objective of the OCB unit was the County Commissioners and other County Hall personas. These individuals and their confidants and “social acquittances” soon became the target of electronic surveillance and other covert and unconventional Ops. No one was safe, not even the girlfriends, mistresses, or escorts who often filled the political parties. (Heck if Joe Centorino had this crew with the electronics of today all his dreams would come true). It all unraveled on E. Wilson Purdy and his crew, when several Commissioners were arrested, and some unconventional investigations were discovered. The OCB crew went running for cover, including some “associates” who were lending their talents to the unit in violation of their own agency rules by engaging in domestic tasking with their OCB buddies. George Ray was then hired by Janet Reno to replace Martin Dardis, but George Ray was never given nor had the same latitude as Dardis had under Richard Gerstein, nor was Janet Reno of the same mind set as her predecessor. Thus, it is unfair to compare George Ray to Dardis in that regard. Oh, by the way, George Ray’s trusty confidant Wayne Black deserves honorable mention as contributing to George Ray’s professional achievements. Hell now I really feel old, but am glad I am still around to recall.
Dear Abe: take 6 months off from sao and write a book- last great prosecutor to write a book was vincent bugliosi who won 105 out of 106 felony trials including manson case. many lawyers have written books, roy black's sucked based on cases he has handled. ellis rubin, dershovitz, f. lee bailey etvc. think about it. no joke. you do consider yourself the best prosecutor in the one of the most important prosecutor's offices in the usa.last person i made this suggestion to wrote the book- a legal analyst on tv.
I am a former public official, appointed and elected. i loved public service and did not need the money. i did it because i loved the law, respected our lawyers and wanted to make a difference. i have felt for so long that there is so much corruption in all forms of dade county government and the court system. every time that i go to joe's stone crabs, i see lobbyists treating commissioners to expensive lunches, lawyers shmoozing judges at joe's giving them a free meal in exchange for hopefully favorable rulings, etc. this town and its public corruption investigations are weak. the asa's like joe centerino and the ausa's are righteous and idealistic, but they really need to get aggressive again like in operation courtbroom. please clean up this disgusting town. i would like for the blog to discuss for an entire day what is corrupt and needs indictments. please. you can just look at some of these commissioners and judges and know that they are corrupt. all of this condo explosion did not happen without corruption. please joe centorino, you are the best, make some news this year and take down the bad guys....you know who i am and i will help in any way that i can....
Any word on the dozen or so new judges?
These last groups of comments are fantastic and will go into a post shortly.
To Thursday, January 25, 2007 2:34:54 AM. I doubt that you are a Judge based on what you wrote. Reagardless, Joe Centorino cannot and will not do anything about the truly corrupt because he works with the biggest one of all: Kathy Fernandez-Rundle.
He cannot turn on his boss. As we have seen in the past, they did not go after Bennett H. Brummer neither of Judge Joe Farina who may be one of the slickets around. Additionally, Brummer, Fernandez-Rundle and Farina surround themselves with criminals as well as the good old boys who do their dirty work aside from the dirty good old boys who frop the hammer on anyone who dares question them.
Truly corrupt is the truth, but this is a job for the Federal Government. In regard to the State and County, we are as they say, "Out of Gas."
GO FEDS!
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