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.

Monday, August 01, 2016

SEX AND THE JUDICIAL CANDIDATE MARCIA DEL REY

Sex sells. But does it win elections? 

Marcia Del Rey is running for circuit judge. (Yawn). "What else is new, Rumpole" you may say. 

Well....Ms. Del Rey owns 33% of a sex-motel. (eyebrows raised). 

"Tell me more" you say, your prurient interest clearly rising (pun intended).

The following has been first reported by Sandy Skelany at her blog here. 
Marcia Del Rey who is a candidate for Circuit Court Judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade County, FL), for example. Financial disclosures from May 2016 show that Marcia’s assets include Tropic Gardens Investments valued at $2.4 million. You may know this company better as Executive Tropic Garden Hotel, the “sex-themed” hotel located at 6925 SW 8th Street where Marcia is a 33% owner with her brother Julio Del Rey Jr. She also reports income from Resorts of Dade, Inc. and Puerto Rico Income....

Public records also show that Marcia Del Rey’s judicial campaign and Raquel Regalado’s mayoral campaign have been directly funded by each of approximately half dozen sex-hotel holding companies owned by the Del Rey family with a significant $25,000 going to Regalado’s campaign from the Executive Fantasy Hotels...

In all, the Del Rey family owns several “sex-themed” hotels in Miami and Puerto Rico founded by her parents Julio and Marcia back when our judicial candidate was still a child. You can say that it’s a family business empire of sorts. The most prominent is Executive Fantasy Hotels which lists the following hotels on their website: Executive Airport Hotel, Executive Tropic Garden Hotel, Hotel Presidente, La Fuente Motels on 8th Street and Hialeah, Executive Grant Emperor Hotel, Mansion Motel, Executive Miami Hotel and Paraiso Hotel.
Rumple "interlude": Can we expect the candidate so announce that she is "Shocked! Shocked to find out that there is sex going on at her motels"?


The Executive Fantasy boasts “Luxury. Seduction. [and] Excitement.” and the promise of “unleash[ing] your wild side on your exclusive love chair or slip[ping] into your personal heart-shaped jacuzzi.” ...
Sounds pretty innocent, right?
Here’s the problem. While these hourly rate sex-themed hotels may be a great venue for adventures in infidelity, they are also hotbeds for prostitution, and by extension sex trafficking and the sex trafficking of children. While the line between prostitution and trafficking isn’t always clear for adults, any child under 18 years old who is being prostituted is a victim of sex trafficking under both federal and Florida State law.

So learned readers, here is the question of the day: Does a judge having an ownership interest in sex-motels disqualify her from being a judge?
Sexy question, indeed. 
See you at the Executive Airport
in court. 


38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bloch just took this race to a new level. Gonna get nasty. You know what I mean.

Anonymous said...

Sex motels...much ado about nothing

Anonymous said...

Tannebaum is on The Bloch Train and is pushing this story on social media. I'm kind of surprised he's in the gutter wit this.

Anonymous said...

So what! The investment is irrelevant.

Now, I do have a question about those campaign photos of Bloch with John Walsh (you know, the guy on TV in America's Most Wanted, who constantly plays to our fears of crime and has a horrible face lift) well what's that connection?

Did Block pay him for that endorsement or does Walsh know and actually endorse Bloch?

I never liked Bloch when he was a county attorney. Very bad apple indeed.

Anonymous said...

I remember this race This is the lady who is backed by the wanna be king maker. Block hurt his feelings or bruised his fragil ego so he put up del Ray. This is the same group that went against judge Newman. They are bullies. I hate bullies.
Sounds like she is facilitating infidelity and prostitution. No big deal. However, If it is true that her hotel is used for human sex trafficking then she should not be a judge.

Anonymous said...

Very intriguing. Anyone know if she's related to Francisco Del Rey the teenager who drunkenly drove his Corvette down U.S.1 about 20 years ago killing 3 other teenagers and paralyzing his passenger. His parents also had business interests in Puerto Rico. Just very curious.

Anonymous said...

Bloch just took this race to a new level? Or maybe someone just took a gander at Billboard Del Rey's list of $1,000 contributions and connected the dots. Looks like some people hitched their wagon to someone who is supported by the sex trafficking of minors industry. Can't go any lower than that.

Anonymous said...

Motels are legal, right? Then who gives a crap? This is nothing more than Jason Bloch's reelection team slinging mud at his opponent. This type of nasty politicking shouldn't go on in judicial races, but Bloch is scared and will do anything he can to keep his $144,000 job even though he has $37M in the bank. Ego ego ego!

Anonymous said...

Much ado about nothing???
At least you didn't say you were shocked to see there was sex going on in your hotel.

Anonymous said...

Let's assume that the motels were not "sex" themed. Does this all of a sudden disqualify her, as sex trafficking can also use regular motels and even national chain hotels? I understand that the likelihood is higher at these "sex" themed motels, but where is the line? Is there a line? It is certainly an issue for the campaign, but I'm not sure "disqualification" is appropriate.

Anonymous said...


Can we get back to the comments yesterday on Bernie. I still can't for the life of me understand why so many of you are so down on Bernie. He means well. He is fighting for the little guy. He wants to break up the corruption. He speaks the truth. And he ran an honest and fair campaign. What more can you say. Feel The Bern.

Anonymous said...

Whether you support Marcia Del Rey or Jason Bloch or don't care for either of them), at the very least, think logically and analytically like a lawyer.

The paragraph "Here’s the problem. While these hourly rate sex-themed hotels may be a great venue for adventures in infidelity, they are also hotbeds for prostitution, and by extension sex trafficking and the sex trafficking of children. While the line between prostitution and trafficking isn’t always clear for adults, any child under 18 years old who is being prostituted is a victim of sex trafficking under both federal and Florida State law." contains plenty of assumptions and opinions but no facts as to whether prostitution, sex trafficking and child sex trafficking go on, in fact, in Del Rey family hotels and whether Marcia Del Rey knows and allows any such trafficking. The author uses assumptions and extensions to infer facts from her own opinion without any specific evidence to support it.

Anonymous said...

Sh*t happens when you gamble naked !!

Anonymous said...

The author of the article writes the following:

"Sex Trafficking at Paraiso Motel

On May 4, 2015, Miami-Dade State Attorney charged three men, William Betancourt, Freddy Rodriguez and Elial Izquierdo-Alcala with human trafficking and unlawful sex with a minor, battery and child abuse. These events took place at the Paraiso Motel, which is part of the Del Rey family’s Executive Fantasy Hotels group that also includes Marcia Del Rey’s Tropical Garden Hotel."

However the next paragraph states:

"In this particular case, the State Attorney’s Office did not find the corporation complicit in human trafficking. However, there is a growing movement nationally to bring justice to all parties involved in human trafficking under both federal and state statutes, including hotel staff and owners, taxi and escort drivers, the buyers and other third party beneficiaries."

The first sentence of the second paragraph states the fact that the SAO did not find the corporation complicit in human trafficking. The second sentence, however, tries to imply guilt by association without any facts from the "growing movemement nationally" to prosecute all paties involved in human trafficking.

The author further quotes the Florida statute on human trafficking as "According to Florida law,“’Human trafficking’ means transporting, soliciting, recruiting, harboring, providing, enticing, maintaining, or obtaining another person for the purpose of exploitation of that person. [And] Any person who knowingly, or in reckless disregard of the facts, engages in human trafficking, or attempts to engage in human trafficking, or benefits financially by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture that has subjected a person to human trafficking” can be charged with a felony and she italicizes "or benefits financially" without acknowledging that "Any person who knowingly, or in reckless disregard of the facts," also applies to those who benefit financially and should be read as "Any person who knowingly, or in reckless disregard of the facts,...benefits financially by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture that has subjected a person to human trafficking”.

The rest of the article is "wondering", "would it", "omagine", etc. Still, not one single fact to link candidate Del Rey to sex trafficking.

Anonymous said...

FACDL list serve is driving me nuts. Every week Nancy Wear tells everyone what she thinks about everything. Bijan appears as if he never opened a single law book and asks everyone to do all his research and writing for him. Now, the endless judicial campaign stuff. Somebody needs a lawyer in Alaska to represent a squirrel who's being evicted. Get real!

Anonymous said...

If our potential First Lady can pose naked, why can't a judicial candidate own an adult motel?

Anonymous said...

At the end of her post, Ms. Skelaney lists links to "**More examples of how human trafficking is linked to South Florida hotels can be found here, here, here, here and here.". Interestingly, none of those examples involve Del Rey hotels. So, every thing seems to be innuendo and guilt by association or generalization, something akin to "Cocaine is snorted through the nose. People have noses. Therefore, imagine if anyone used their nose to get high on coke".

Anonymous said...

Rump you have a point. Not only do these motels serve as the county's prostitution hubs, many drug dealers live out of these motels and sell drugs out of their rooms that they rent by the week.

Is she going to recuse herself anytime a case comes into her division where MDPD has done a sting at a hotel she has a financial stake in?

Think about it - MDPD does a sweep and two dozen cases end up in her division.

Anonymous said...


http://www.crespogram.com/index_public_html/MARCIA_DEL_REY_RUNNING_FOR_JUDGE.html

Anonymous said...

A motel where people have sex.

In other words, a motel.

Anonymous said...

This is a stupid and juvenile post. Has Del Rey been adjudicated of any criminal, administrative, or ethical offense, NO! So please give it a break. I had more respect for Bloch, it is apparent his handlers as real gutter trash.

Anonymous said...

Wonder how many lawyers have experienced the hospitality of the motel?

No Longer JAFI said...

Woops:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/article93266417.html

Anonymous said...

Does a judge having an ownership interest in a bar disqualify him/her from being a judge [in a DUI case]?

What if instead of a bar, the judge owns a restaurant and they sell beer?

That's a dumb argument, the number of combinations between a business and the potential liabilities that may result from its operation are endless...

DMD said...

New stupid looking "Gillian" Navy Judge campaign posters still popping up all over town--DMD

South Florida Lawyers said...

Rump, I had been sent this from various folks. Should it matter and if so how? Seems like a stretch to bring in child trafficking but maybe I'm missing something.

Anonymous said...

I don't know either of these two. But, this is Miami. The unqualified, lying, blonde Latina with billboards and money is sure to win. Oh, yeah, and I hear Bloch can be a d-bag. But, that's just what I hear.

Anonymous said...

So do our "donations" at these hotels count as campaign contributions?

Anonymous said...

We are still going to kick the shit out of him. " Stick a fork in him he is done!"

He has no idea of the onslaught coming........"sow the wind reap the whirlwind"

Anonymous said...

Love the Egyptian suite.Use to see Sepe there when he was younger.

Anonymous said...

Confirmed. Marcia Del Rey is the first cousin of Corvette drag racer Francisco Del Rey, who killed 3 teens and paralyzed another in that horrific accident on U.S. 1 in late 1993. Bet some people still remember that one. Her father is Julio Del Rey, Francisco's uncle. Small world.

Anonymous said...

429- good question. The answer is yes.

Anonymous said...

All of the findings in the article are intended to distract the readers to issues that are not directly applicable to Marcia Del Rey, and her candidacy for judge. Whether she owns interests in the hotels or not it does not matter to her candidacy unless she is directly involved in any illegal activities therein. Which she is not, otherwise the blogger responsible for the comments at issue would have made them known. It doesn't matter what her first cousin did 20 years ago, as long as she didn't do it. I think we all here have a black sheep in our families, and it does not reflect, and should not reflect on our own reputation. Most people who run for political office have all sorts of investments out there, some of which may look shady. Look at the two that we have running for president. Yet, they are there running for the most important position in the world.

It doesn't matter that her parents have money and may be helping her with her election. I would like to know which one of us does not stand ready to assist our children whenever possible.

The blogger responsible for the comments should really stop insulting someone's candidacy on unsupported assumptions and accusations. it really further supports what one commenter wrote, that you are on the incumbent's payroll, and are lying and making up stories to help the one that pays you. And if you think this last comment was an unsupported accusation, it's the same thing you are doing with your comments regarding Marcia Del Rey.

Stick to the facts and support your candidate with things he has done that lay merit to his retainment as a Judge. Not insult the other candidate with unfounded and unsupported innuendos. You sound like someone who's running for President.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Marcia's mom at 9:34 p.m. on August 3. A fine endorsement of your girl.

One thing: If "her parents have money and may be helping her with her election" and that's not clearly reported in the quarterlies, or if they give more than the maximum, or if the give sham "loans," then it really kinda DOES matter -- since all of that would be unlawful.

Anonymous said...

Unfounded? She was a CLI. Not an actually sworn state attorney. Yet she claims a position she never earned. That's fact. She has no experience. Nothing that qualifies her as a viable judicial candidate.

Anonymous said...

Is Del Rey trying the Kathy Gifford defense?? Don't know so it's not my responsibility?? Don't know what goes on in a business you have an ownership interest? Anyone really believe this? She is "allergic" to hard work. So let's keep her off the bench so her allergies don't kick in.

Anonymous said...

As both this candidate and mayoral candidate Raquel Regaldado are funded heavily by the sex trafficking hotel chain, don't you think there's a greater chance of them being beholden to the hotel chain and others like it, and not so strict on sex trafficking?

Anonymous said...

OMG now these are sex trafficking hotels? really? how long have you all been in Miami? Wanna talk about prostitution? Take a drive down 8th street early in the morning and see them walking the streets. I really doubt anyone picking up one of these ladies is going to spend the money on one of the Executive hotels when they have a lot cheaper ones in the area and are probably getting "serviced" in their cars. As for trafficking, I'm sure the people that are into that are little smarter than you are giving them credit for.

This is just another dirty day in politics!