If you know Rumpole (and nobody does) you know that nothing warms our heart like a good old fashioned prank.
Enter one Alfred Spellman, described by the HERALD
as a "professional filmmaker, amateur prankster".
Mr. Spellman allegedly opened a web site promoting free parking on Miami Beach this weekend, in which you could print out a receipt designed to fool the Miami Beach parking police.
Ha ha ha ha.
Now comes word that the city that brought you the 1968 Republican Presidential Convention, and is the butt of countless defense attorney jokes ("how many City of Miami Beach Officers does it take to throw a defendant down a flight of stairs? NONE. he fell.") has opened an economic crimes investigation against Mr. Spellman.
Why if we weren't anonymous, we would represent Mr. Spellman pro bono (Latin for: my client bounced the cheque again.)
While we would never counsel anyone to break the law, every now and then it's nice to "stick it to the man" in the words of Spellman's website.
Here's hoping Mr. Spellman makes it to court and is not found in some alleyway of Miami Beach beaten senseless with a bunch of unused parking meters.
Speaking of scams, another one is winding down as the law firm of Adorno & Yoss (motto: representing the public seven clients at a time) agreed to pay the City of Miami 1.6 million dollars which will be added to the 15.5 million that the City Of Miami has agreed to refund taxpayers in a class action lawsuit over the fire-fee case.
Adorno had agreed to represent the entire class at about the same time he and his pals at the City Attorneys Office were finalizing a seven million dollar settlement for seven clients, earning his firm a quick two million, and giving the rest of his clients (the tax payers of the City of Miami) bubkas (to use a technical legal term).
The Third DCA called it "a scheme to defraud." "More unethical and reprehensible behavior by attorneys against their own clients is difficult to imagine.'' The Court intoned.
Now comes word that as the Florida Bar continues its investigation of former Assistant State Attorney Hank Adorno, the embattled lawyer is quietly considering "The Spellman defense."
"It was a joke. A harmless prank. A way to 'stick it to the man'. No lawyer in his right mind would screw an entire city of clients to make a quick 2 million."
As Johnny Cochran might say "You can't disbar, if the prank didn't get very far."
See you in court, pondering how nice it would be to have 1.5 million in the operating account, even if we had to return it.
When you see something that is not right, not fair, find a way to get in the way and cause trouble. Congressman John Lewis
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Saturday, December 08, 2007
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12 comments:
The City of Miami Beach's parking enforcement and towing system is a disgrace and one of the reasons (the other being inflated prices) why many people, including myself, don't go to South Beach.
I have always wondered why the public corruption sector was not involved in the Adorno matter?
HEISMAN PREDICTION...
Hey Rump - care to make a bet?
I say it's TEBOW in a landslide with McFadden second and Brennan and Daniel bringing up the rear.
That should have Gators fans like Blake, Freedman and Blecher jumping up and down. Us Cane fans (yes, I am an adopted one) will just have to wait for Jacory Harris to graduate from NWestern).
Cap Out ...
Adorno...grrrrrrr
Firetruck!!!arf arf arf arf arf.
I barely know who those guys are. I wait till they get to the pros. The last Heisman race I cared about was won by Archie Griffin.
it going to be TEBOW TIME. as for jacory[what kind of name is that] harris,if hes smart he will go to oregon and not the caines. the gatornation is proud of the gator judges and gator trial lawyers, and or course urban and tim.
adorno should be indicted for this prank. and he should be disbarred as well. this time slick hank got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. little yoss may be visiting his partner in the pookey.
Captain is nuts. No sophomore before and no sophomore tonight. McFadden wins it this year - like he should have done last year!
SEC rules and Captain Cane will be waiting a long time for another Heisman at your school
Easy answer why public corruption section did not investigate the fire free scandal. Adorno was a big contributor to Kathy Rundle's campaign. Free ticket.
Why has the State Attorneys Office not pursued, or even initiated any inquiry or prosecution over the fraud perpetrated on the public by the City of Miami elite and the Adorno firm? This is the same office that is prosecuting a bunch of underlings in the City of Miami Capital Improvement Division for doing outside work or moonlighting allegedly at the expense of tax payers. When you consider the financial impact of these minions versus the financial impact of the fire fee scam it makes you wonder about the allocation of resources by the SAO. Lets us not forget about the real estate deal by Manny Diaz, a close ally of the State Attorney, Joe Arriola, and Johnny Winton, also a close ally of the Sate Attorney. Oh well, go figure! What do you all think?
I don't think it's a crime to shirk a fiduciary duty owed to a client. Adorno should be punished- but he has not comitted a crime. He may well should be suspended or disbarred- but not prosecuted.
The great Rumpole has spoken.
Hey stupid people.
State and Federal proscutors are investigating.
The Feds are not afraid to indict.
All they have to do is find one letter that was mailed by US mail and off to prison for Adorno.
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