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.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

VOTES FOR SALE

The Herald reported on the "Boleteros" scandal.  What is a Bolerteros? Look under your shoe. That slimy, gummy, runny, disgusting sludge is NOT South Florida Blog's  guest blogger- (click- his identity is revealed!) it's a Bolerteros: a person who sells absentee ballots to candidates for a fee. Pay the money and the Bolerteros writes the candidates name on the ballots s/he has collected. 

So in the last election, according to the Herald and El Herald, which of your favourite judicial candidates used a Bolerteros and who did not? 


USED a Bolerteros:

Judge Don Cohn (won re-election)
Tanya Brinkley (won her election to county court)
Michele Alvarez-Barakat (won her election to county court)

DID NOT USE a Bolerteros:

Maria Verde (won her election for circuit court)
Lourdes Combo (lost her challenge to Judge Cohn)
Enrique Yabor (lost his election to county court to Tanya Brinkley)

We note that in the Herald article Judge Cohn denied using the individual for absentee ballots and claimed he used the indiviual for promotion and other campaign related events.  There is no proof any of the individuals who used  a bolerteros paid them to write their name on absentee ballots. But as we trial lawyers like to say to juries about confidential informations, "When you sleep with dogs, you get fleas."


The Power of Cinema:

Without the "date movie" population growth in the United States might be negative. But movies are also powerful. Movies  have been used as a propaganda tool ever since Leni Riefenstahl produced Triumph of the Will for the Third Reich. 
Currently the middle east is in flames over a cheaply made movie that insults the Prophet Mohammed. Here's our question: what is with these people? In the United States films denying the holocaust are protected speech. Films mocking Moses, Christ, The Pope, The Buddha, et.al., come and go and die in the capitalist market place where taste and quality matter (seemingly). Nobody burns embassies over dumb movies. Nobody dies over a movie in the west. 
So why is the Middle East in flames over a stupid movie? 

 Tomorrow Judge Thomas decides whether or not to start jury selection anew in the Lebron case. Rumors are that he is open to the possibility that recent negative news accounts of the mistrial might make trying to pick a jury now inopportune.  We shall see. 


See you in court.




41 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's simple, it has nothing to do with the movie.

The movie was just a convenient excuse for a pre-planned series of anti-American riots by Middle Eastern louts.

Anonymous said...

Brinkley and Alvarez-Bakarat already under investigation? Will they even make it to their investiture?

Rumpole said...

I will say this. I've been thinking about movies a lot recently and I think while my post gives credit to the propaganda power of film, I then dismiss it, perhaps too quickly. I do know this: I struggled with the decision to see The Boy In the Stripped Pajamas, intuitively knowing how it could disturb me, And even though it's a few years now, I vividly recall sitting in that theatre by myself staring at the screen after the ending and just shaking for a time until I could steady myself and walk out.

Anonymous said...

the united states is becoming a third world country and miami will be named its capital...i voted for this, i think!

Rumpole said...

6:28: Nothing I wrote should be interpreted to mean anyone is under investigation.

Anonymous said...

6:28. According to Herald article Bakarat and Brinkley refuse to comment because of "pending investigation". They haven't even been sworn in yet, right? Tragic.

Anonymous said...

628.....don't jump to conclusions. There isn't a shred of evidence to date to suggest that Brinkley or Alvarez-Barakat knew that any of the people they hired were engaged in wrong doing. Haven't we learned about the dangers of rushing to judgment yet?

BTDT

PS----I supported Lobree, but have known Alvarez-Barakat and her husband for years. Both are good and honest people (I supported Lobree because she has far more experience and was a good judge who deserved to keep her seat).

Rumpole said...

I read that as a pending investigation of the vote sellers, not of them. But then again, I'm a lawyer, so I parse those things in a lawyerly manner.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole, I wish I was with you in the darkened theater to hold your hand at the end of The Boy In Stripped Pajamas. Dear soul that you are.

Anonymous said...

This jury selection publicity is nonsense and more a reflection of our ego centric view of things. BULLETIN: as shocking as it may seem, 99.9999% of MIami Dade residents do not follow what goes on in the criminal justice system. Finding an impartial jury is a no brainer.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole- you've increased your tweeting 10 fold recently. Any reason why?

Anonymous said...

The boleteros never came up to people and openly said they would do an illegal act like buying votes.

They were all latin, mostly Cuban, people who said they were political consulants and if you paid them, they would help you get votes.

Many candidates knew they were "sleezy" and avoided using them but, also did not want to piss them off.

Bienvenidos a los estados unidos!

Anonymous said...

6:13: You omitted the fact that the film is tied to bat shit crazy radical Christians during a presidential election year. Have you question the motive behind the film and the convenient timing of its release? Perhaps I enjoy questioning everything a little too much, but I think it’s important.

And as a snobby film buff, I'm only outraged by the quality and craftsmanship. But the agenda behind the film is definitely highly disturbing.

I agree that it doesn't excuse the tragic death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and the others that died that day. But the film is guilty of engaging in brinkmanship.

Anonymous said...

btdt
like anyone cares who you support or what you think-

you are one of the most annoying people that i have to suffer during the day.

9:10
post of the year



Anonymous said...

9:10 AM

Don't mock Rumpole. That was an excellent movie and he's probably not interested in sitting in a darkened theater with you (some of us have standards).

Anonymous said...

It is hard to imagine how Romney could stick his foot in his mouth anymore than what he said on that tape about all of us in the 47%.

Anonymous said...

Numbers dont lie!! Cohn lost by absentee ballots. Won by voters going to the polls, As did Brinkley and Barakat. Hmmm looks like he didnt really work absentee ballot angle but people just voted at polls for the candidates they wanted. Check all stats- absentee and at poll voting results gives a true story for this whole election.

Anonymous said...

It's spelled B-O-L-E-T-E-R-O.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole, before writing Spanish, please learn the gender and number rules (if you don't know them already or if Spanish is not your native language).

"Boletero" is singular male.
"Boletera" is singular female.
"Boleteros" is plural male or plural for a mix of both genders.
"Boleteras" is plural females.

To say "a boleteros" can be translated as saying "a ballort brokers".

Anonymous said...

1002........I'm sorry that it annoys you that I don't believe in hammering people or taking extreme positions. Would you feel better if I joined the avalanche of people posting over the top criticisms of anyone who is unfortunate enough to have their name grace the pages of this blog?

Seriously, if reading my posts is the most annoying part of your day, you should count your blessings.

BTDT

PS---if you think 910 was right about jury selection, obviously you've never tried a big media case.

Anonymous said...

I feel you Rump about The Boy In the Striped Pajamas. I quit going to movies about the Holocaust after Schindler's List. Although, after reading many reviews, I did go so The Counterfeiters which was worth a see.

Anonymous said...

12:17 and 12:30:

Please understand that not everyone is fluent in the CHUSMA Cuban dialect. I speak fluent Spanish and I wasn’t sure if "boletero" was a thing or a person. For the record, there is no such thing as "boletero" in the Spanish dictionary. Apparently, it only exists in the cheap and sleazy Cuban dialect of Little Havana.

And frankly, if you know exactly what it is and to spell it then you just gave yourself away as a chusma.

Go back to the cigar shop. I doubt you have any real clients to represent.

Anonymous said...

Why is this news to you? Bob Levy and his candidates have used this system created by his former buddy Al Lorenzo for the past 8 years. It started in 2004 with Peter Adrien's defeat of Henry Harnage and a certain sitting judge's defeat of D. Bruce Levy. It was the deciding factor in the Pozo-Swartz race where she won by 3 1/2% overall, but actually lost in the votes cast on election day.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on how this fraud is committed. It includes an organization called Get Out the Vote, Inc., (a company created by Lorenzo) which idenitfies and targets low quality voters (voting in less than 3 of the past 6 elections),sending individuals to the homes of these voters wearing t-shirts which give the impression they are with the Div. of Elections and offering assistance in voting absentee. They help out with the paper work to get an absentee ballot, leave contact information and tell the voter to call them when the ballot arrives.

The workers then do what you can not do at the polling place, influence how the voter marks their ballot to assure the candidate(s) paying for their services receives a vote. Put that together with Al's agents who work the assisted living facilities and nursing homes who get paid by the vote and you have legalized voter fraud.

In each case the worker takes the ballot and "assures" its mailing. It is not proveable, but it is rumored that ballots which do not contain votes for the paying candidates never see the mailbox or the Div. of Elections.

Some candidates have complained about this for years, but it is beyond the comprehension (and most certainly the work ethic) of the public corruption unit of the SAO. You don't really believe any of the three I mentioned above (who were the test case for this method) actually lost on merit do you?

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE .....

A total of 27 applied to replace Judge Joe Farina.

The JNC has reviewed the applications and has decided to interview ONLY TEN of those applicants. That is an historically low percentage.

The lucky ten are:

Jason Bloch
Robert Coppel
Michelle Delancy
Jason Dimitris
Alan S. Fine
Judge Andrew Hague
Judge Eric Hendon
Judge Fleur Lobree
Sandra Miller-Baptiste
Steven Reininger

If you want to know the 17 that were passed over for an interview please read the list below:


Alicia de la Lama
Ofelia Damas-Rodriguez
Raul Flores
Julio Gomez
Daniel O. Gonzalez
Dawn Grace-Jones
Scott Janowitz
Alex Labora
Lisa Lehner
Louis Martinez
Gordon Murray
Melba Pearson
Robert Rodriguez
Jacci Seskin
Beth E. Spiegel
Breezye Telfair
Julie Terry

Interviews are set for October 1, 2012. If you want to weigh in on the decision, please contact your JNC members at:

Marva L. Wiley (Chair)
P.O. Box 530292
Miami Shores, FL 33153-0292
Office: (305) 793-0701
Facsimile: (786) 513-3827
mlwiley1999@yahoo.com

Marlene Quintana
GrayRobinson, P.A.
1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1600
Miami, FL 33131
Office: (305) 416-6880
Facsimile: (305) 416-6887
Marlene.quintana@gray-robinson.com

Daniel Fridman
Holland & Knight
701 Brickell Avenue
Suite 3000
Miami FL 33131
Office: (305) 789-7412
Facsimile: (305) 789-7799
daniel.fridman@hklaw.com

Johnette Hardiman
Office of the State Attorney
1350 NW 12 Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
Office: (305) 547-0664
Facsimile: (305) 547-0772
johnettehardiman@miamisao.com

Christine Hernandez-Baldwin
Office of the State Attorney
1350 NW 12 Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
Office: 305-547-0100
Facsimile: 305-547-0330
hernandezc490@gmail.com

Manuel Kadre
10055NW 12th Street
Miami, FL 33172
Office: (305) 591-9800 x4185
Facsimile: (305) 593-2393
mkadre@goldcoastbeverage.com

Rayfield McGhee
McGhee & Associates, LLC
19 West Flagler Street
Suite 501
Miami, FL 33130
Office: (305) 350-5066
Facsimile: (305) 350-5007
mcghee@mcgheellc.com

Mark Romance
Richman Greer LLP
396 Alhambra Circle
North Tower, 14th Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Office: (305) 373-4000
Facsimile: (305) 373-4099
mromance@richmangreer.com

Daniel W. Schwartz
Akerman Senterfitt
One SE 3rd Avenue
28th Floor
Miami, FL 33131
Office: (305) 374-5600
Facsimile: (305) 995-6964
daniel.schwartz@akerman.com

CAP OUT .....

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A COUNTY COURT JUDGE .....

A total of 35 applied to replace Judge Cristina Miranda and Judge Rodney Smith.

The JNC has reviewed the applications and has decided to interview 15 of those applicants.

The lucky fifteen are:

Madeline Acosta
David Alschuler
Betty Capote
Pamela Gordon
Carlos Guzman
Scott Janowitz
Steven Lieberman
Louis Martinez
Shirloyn J. McWhorter
Jonathan Meltz
Gordon Murray
Melba Pearson
Breeyze Telfair
Julie Terry
Veronica Xiques

PLEASE NOTE:

Jason Bloch, Michelle Delancy, Jason Dimitris, and Fleur Lobree will be interviewed on
Monday, October 1, 2012, and considered for both the County Court and Circuit Court appointments.

If you want to know the 20 that were passed over for an interview please read the list below:

M. Barbara Amaro
Ofelia Damas-Rodriguez
Alicia De La Lama
Raul Flores
Eria Gerstin
Julio Gomez
Daniel O. Gonzalez
Dawn Grace-Jones
Christopher Green
Alan Greenstein
Michael Jones
Kristi Kassebaum
Alex Labora
John Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Jacci Seskin
Martin Zilber

Interesting to note that Judicial Candidates Alex Labora, John Rodriguez, and Jacci Seskin did not score even an interview. Martin Zilber, who made it all the way to the Governor's office in the recent past also did not score an interview.

And, what if Governor Scott chooses Judge Lobree for a County Court seat before January 1, 2013? I guess she would need to resign from her current seat that expires on that day?

CAP OUT ...

Anonymous said...

Rump Post the picture I sent you of the Satire Romney Slogan. It depicts Romney shooting himself in the foot and says "Romney for President". lol

Anonymous said...

Rumpole, post the pick 5:01 is referring too.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Rump- just what was that change that was made uptown that allowed the Big Man to join the band?

Anonymous said...

Sandra Miller-Baptiste??? U must Read
http://www.thecrespogramreport.com/Site_10/PART_II_-_THE_CASE_OF_THE_MISSING_ENGAGEMENT_RING.html

Anonymous said...

The last four posts (5:01 - 5:04) almost make one yearn for the shumie jerk to return, er, I mean crawl out of his hole.

Rumpole said...

Bruce doesn't explain it. But the aftermath of it was that he (Bad Scooter = Bruce Springsteen) and big man cut the city in half. Ironically, my new post tomorrow is "Bruce, Mitt, Ayn, and Barak".
Check it out.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't chusma mean that you were born on a dirt floor?

DS said...

Many times the Publicists , Community activists and Bolerteros are hired not to get votes or collect absentee ballots ; but so they will not help ones opponent. You dont hire them to help you but you hire then not to screw you and work to defeat you. This is the reality of ethnic and sectional voting in Dade .In the old days you hired Anne A or Dave S in N.E condos and Ray Z in the South. You would get Revy on the Beach and a Hialeah andWestchester Cuban. Maybe even Dr. Esposito of the old guard. You would hire Troxel and Schwartz and Levy and DuPontis and maybe the lady in NMB; , supposedly just to get their calendars. But it was so they put your on their palm card [ ie slate] and didnt work against by helping your your opponent. If they got pissed they worked against you for a cut rate fee. Welcome to the down and dirty world of free elections. The problem is do we want the Gov w/ the JNC or the Gov and the Senate deciding who is a Judge. Welcome to democracy , its like sausages.

DS said...

DISCLAIMER

SO THERE WILL NOT BE ANY CONFUSION OR MISTAKE I WISH IT CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD THAT ANY POSTINGS ARE MY PERSONAL MUSING. SO THAT THERE IS NO CONFUSION

ABOUT WHO I SPEAK FOR, ON THE BLOG IT IS ONLY ME.

I DO NOT SPEAK FOR ANYONE ELSE INCLUDING MY EMPLOYER

Rumpole said...

OK. I'll give you one plug for your blog.
But don't abuse it or over do it.

Marty Kohn said...

Ofelia Damas-Rodriguez??? David Alschuler??? Lolsauce!

old guy said...

I do not want to slam the whole group, but there are clearly some on the Judicial lists who I would not allow to represent me on a parking violation.
What -- other than needing the money -- made then think that they belong on the bench? Do they realize that they could ruin the lives of actual people??

Anonymous said...

Mitt Romney is more awkward than W. lmao he's a dweeb and a major looser and nut job. lmao Hey where's that top fifty asshole when you need him. I can bust his chops on his idiotic candidate. That goes to show you, you can be a dumb white guy and still be successful in America. LOL!

While they raised hell about a birth certificate why in the fuck isn't anyone showing any discontent for the non-disclosure of Romney's tax returns.
~AM~

Rumpole said...

i am not fluent in spanish. I do understand it and speak some of it, I think it is classically a beautiful language, especially when spoken in the throes of passion.

DS said...

Rump
Correct, there is nothing like the sounds of

Aye Papi