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News from the SAO Office Newsletter (because prosecutors read the blog too and they should get their due recognition):
Assistant State Attorney's (ASAs), Jessie Friedman and Sara Narkes, won a conviction on charges of Felony Battery, False Imprisonment and Resisting Without Violence.
ASAs Breezye Telfair from the Public Corruption Unit and Rachel Walters from the Gangs/Homicide Prosecution Unit convicted a Prison Release Re-Offender (PRRP) of Attempted 1st Degree Murder and Armed Robbery
Chief of the Sexual Battery Unit Laura Adams and ASA Sophiea Bailey from the Economic Crimes Unit got a conviction on 2 counts of Sexual Battery before Judge Rebull.
Division Chief (DC) Scott Warfman and ASA Jennie Conklin successfully prosecuted a 2nd Degree Murder case before Judge Colodny.
DCs Bill Howell and Alicia Priovolos convicted a defendant of 1st Degree Murder before Judge Sayfie.
ASA Cristina Cabrera with an assist from ASA Wei Xiang won a guilty verdict for Burglary/Unoccupied Dwelling and Grand Theft.
ASA Ayana Duncan and co-counsel ASA Ethan Timmins convicted on charges of Tampering With Physical Evidence and Resisting Without Violence before Judge Hirsch.(We double checked the SAO newsletter and this is exactly how the sentence reads. We doubt these two fine prosecutors were convicted and fully believe they successfully OBTAINED a conviction for the above charges. Memo to KFR: language matters. Get a good editor.)
Homestead Mayor Steven Bateman has been arrested for felony crimes derived from using his official capacity as Homestead mayor to provide himself with private employment and private income.
Circumstances relating to needed sewage system upgrades in downtown Homestead provided Mayor Bateman with an opportunity to gain supplementary private payment for functioning as Homestead's elected mayor in violation of Florida's criminal statutes.
As Homestead's elected mayor since November 2009, Steven Bateman has been advocating for the development of the city's downtown area. Community Healthcare of South Florida Inc. (CHI) a Florida not-for-profit corporation founded in 1971, received $1.89 million in Miami-Dade County funds to build a Children's Crisis Center in downtown Homestead. However, construction could not commence due to the "absolute moratorium" on new sewer connections in the area until a sewage pump station could be replaced. Problems with Homestead's plans and design for the proposed pump station replacement and Miami-Dade County's existing consent decree with the Federal Government all worked to stall the Children's Crisis Center project, frustrating both Mayor Bateman and the leadership of CHI.
In February 2013, Mayor Bateman became a paid consultant for CHI and at the end of February, CHI authorized payments to Mayor Bateman of up to $120,000 for one year of services. The CEO of CHI, Col. Brodes Hartley Jr., recalled Mayor Bateman offering to assist the agency with its construction program. Col. Hartley clearly recalled that Mayor Bateman solicited employment at this same meeting.
Subsequent to his hiring, Mayor Bateman performed a number of actions relating to the Homestead sewage situation in which he ostensibly was acting as the Mayor of Homestead (i.e. meeting with the Mayor of Miami-Dade County and making contact with Homestead city employees) and for which he billed his employer, CHI, for his work.
"Enriching oneself by utilizing an elected public office not only enrages the community, it is a crime," commented Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "This is a very sad day for the people of the City of Homestead
8 comments:
More news from the SAO!
Kristi Bettendorf (formerly Swartz) will retire, as of tomorrow, after 35 years at the SAO. She is one of the few remaining of the "old guard" from the days of Janet Reno. For over two decades she has supervised the Felony Screening Unit and other divisions of the SAO. Among her duties were PTI referrals and expungements.
Kristi trained her ASA's well and did not let them abuse their positions.
Those who practice criminal defense know her door was always open. She took your calls or met with you, listened to your pitch and made an informed and legal decision. Her answer was not always yes, but she always told you her reasons for saying no, and they were never retributive or delivered in a confrontational manner.
She served on the Board of Directors of the Advocate Program and was willing, at times, to take a chance on a referral that was not always strictly within the guidelines.
Kristi is a dedicated public servant, who never became a source of controversey. She could teach some the young ASA's about their duty and obligations.
She should be congratulated on her retirement and acknowledged by everyone in the system for a job well done.
It should be newsworthy when a sexual battery case is acquitted. Considering they only go forward with DNA, prints, blood, confessions and 35 eyewitnesses, it really would be news worthy if a prosecution failed. Any first year per schooler could obtain a conviction on those cases.
Don't pat yourself on the back too much. Your cases are a slam dunk.
That being said, those typical defendants deserve to be launched to the moon.
I am still waiting for your public apology rumper.
Regards,
The Soon To Be Back-to-Back Suicide Pool Champ
Typo Correction on News from the State Attorney's Office
One of the great benefits of having an intelligent readership is the swift recognition of typographical errors when they occur, particularly an error that changes the entire meaning of a sentence. Thankfully, such errors are few. As one would have naturally suspected, Assistant State Attorneys Ayana Duncan and Ethan Timmins were not convicted in a criminal trial but rather they convicted the defendant of Tampering With Physical Evidence and Resisting Without Violence before Judge Hirsch.
Apologies to all, but particular apologies to Assistant State Attorneys Ayana Duncan and Ethan Timmins.
Rump...Broward Blog site suspended!!! What gives?
Broward Blog is running fine.
Mr. Griffith: We spotted the error and went out of our way on our blog to make sure that people knew that these prosecutors obtained a conviction. That being said our fees for proofreading and editing are very reasonable.
Actually, Mr. Griffith, it is not the prosecutors who convict a defendant. That is the job of a jury -- although I'm sure you would prefer to leave it to the opinions of your inexperienced attorneys with little perspective.
150 you are a moron
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