BREAKING NEWS: Sorry to rain on Bill Altfield's parade, but this just in: Mr. Pretty Boy, the QB for the cheaters, was involved in a 2 car accident at 5am this morning and had to be removed by the jaws of life from the vehicle. He is reported to be ok and not needing hospitalization. We can only hope this car accident does for him, what Tiger's did to his career.
Remember the NFL STARTS TONIGHT. If you want the Saints or the Vikes in the suicide pool, you need to email blogpool21 at gmail.com before the start of the game.
ASA Bill Altfield was successful in obtaining a conviction of two former Miami Dade Detectives who were accused of shaking down drug dealers.
The two former cops were represented by Richard Sharpstein and Doug Hartman and their clients were convicted of various crimes including agg assault, burglary, and official misconduct.
This is a BIG win for the prosecution as the offer before trial was to drop charges in exchange for the officers surrendering their police certifications. The defendants brazenly rejected that offer, and they are now incarcerated and convicted felons. Only one of the two defendants was convicted of agg assault, so we are guessing only one of them is facing a mandatory prison sentence.
The SAO's public corruption unit is often considered a second tier unit when compared to the Feds. And of course without depos, it is often easier to proceed against defendants in federal court (except when yours truly is retained.) But this is not a fair characterization.
The SAO's public corruption unit takes the tough cases the feds won't touch. And they work hard and fight the good fight against bad cops and certain loud criminal defense attorneys who are always ready with a smart quip after a win. As we often say, "The Fox fears not the man who boasts by night, but the man who rises early in the morn."
This win is a great win for the Dade SAO, and it's no surprise that Bill Altfield was the prosecutor leading charge. He is one of the good guys.
See You In Court.
27 comments:
Well, the Feds ain't that great at winning corruption cases either. Remember Calvin Grigsby, et al. Never made it to a jury. Even the police corruption cases are a mixed bag. Didn't some cops get acquitted a few months ago in Fed land? Given the resources the Feds have and the luxury of sending junk back to the SAO, I would say that SAO more than holds its own. These cops must be beside themselves. Severe depression doesn't begin to describe their condition. Instead of sitting for the Gold Coast real estate exam to begin a new career, they are standing in line for a shovel full of creamed corn on a tin tray.
Jaws of life had to be used for passenger in other car. Not for Brady's car.
Sharpie's quote is a classic. "We're stunned. Complete and utter disbelief that a jury would give one shred of credibility to a drug dealer who admits he continues peddling crack on the street."
Problem is Sharpie - State had other evidence besides the drug dealer and jury didn't have to just believe the drug dealer to convict.
Fernandez is an egotistical prima donna know-it-all who thought he could do whatever he wanted. Guys like that don't need to be cops let alone Detectives. I took his
deposition several times and each time it was like a war - just as adversarial a guy as you can imagine. He had this me against the world attitude. You could see it in his eyes - he was always thinking about how much smarter he was and how he was going to screw
your client.
Sharpie's one of the absolute best at what he does, but this guys smug attitude and ego is why he lost. What goes around comes around. Ying Yang - Karma!!!
Does the Captain have any 411 on who applied for the Third DCA opening created by Judge Cope's resignation?
These guys have been stealing for years. hi is all they got caught for. Just the process of getting through the gauntlet of Internal Affairs is a chore. Congrats to Altfield. One of them collapsed -- the shock of learning that sometimes cops have to obey the law.
Dan Lurvey is a Hero. Saved a kitten.
Good Job Dan
DS
Rumpole
Say what you will about Betty Butchko, but she keeps her cool and understands defendants w/ mental illnes are Ill and can only partially control themselves. Geat restraint by Betty, KUDOS. Cool as Luke
D. Sisselman
ps: here is the Channel 10 link of the video:
http://www.justnews.com/news/24926140/detail.html
The Dan Lurvey Hero pics on channel 10
DS
http://www.justnews.com/slideshow/furryfriends/24930984/detail.html
Dan's video
http://www.justnews.com/video/24932037/index.html
DS
As a defense attorney, nothing brings me greater joy than seeing two corrupt cops convicted of their corruption. These is a HUGH problem in Dade County; dirty cops who fabricate evidence and violate the rights of everyday citizens. These stupid cops should have known better, Miami juries hate them, especially dirty ones.
State Atty's are on the whole, after a bit of seasoning, far superior to the feds. Same goes for state PD's. Keep it real people.
I can't believe you would be enjoying the fact that a guy gets into a car accident that could have killed him.
One has to wonder how strong was the state's case when they offered a nolle prosse in exchange for giving up the defendants' police certification.
Why would the officers (specially the older cop who looks like he was around retirement age) turn down such a sweet deal and risk a trial unless a)they were innocent or, b)they were really, really sure that they would be acquitted?
Over the years, cops and politicians have traditionally accepted this type of offer from the SAO and resigned.
Perhaps, the officers thought that no jury would believe the drug dealers or that Richard Sharpstein would get the same results for them as for previous officers with similar charges,
A case of overconfidence or a miscarriage of justice?
Is it possible to obtain the video link when the surpremes gave Alan Schwartz his public reprimand? I would love to see it. thanks
That big jerk John Rivero from the police union is fully to blame for those two fired cops going to jail.
He went on TV and blasted the State Attorney for filing the charges and bitched about how innocent the cops were. He pushed them hard to fight the case and risk going to prison for years.
Altfield had 50% of his case wiped out when his Williams Rule stuff was excluded and the 3rd DCA agreed. Congrats to Bill.
Metro already fired them. They risked going to jail so that they could get back pay and the hope of their jobs back.
NOT WORTH IT!
This would have been different if they had a defense. Hell, they were caught taking money from a snitch working for I.A.
Cops: GET RID OF THAT TOTAL FLAMMING JERK JOHN RIVERO. He is not on your side!
Those cops deserve what they are getting. being legally guilty is much harder to prove than being morally guilty...these guys were guilty on both counts. They shouldn't be allowed to hock real estate, mortgages, school uniforms or anything else. They have the union to thank and to take care of their financial needs. Go Blue!
I was waiting for 12:27's comment or one like it. I obviously would not be making light of a car accident if someone was seriously injured. Upon learning that Mr. Pretty boy ran to his team trainer and not the hospital (wonder what he was hiding) I felt he was fair game.
9:53am, please refer to this prior posting to answer your question directed at the Captain:
Toy Story said...
Referring to this list of candidates for Judge Cope's seat, is what I mean by the last post:
Befera, Steven P.
Colan, Jonathan D.
Emas, Kevin
Fernandez, Ivan F.
Galex, Michael H.
Galicia, Esther E.
Ginsberg, Ivy R.
Lindsey, Norma S.
Perez, Gladys
Prescott, Orlando A.
Reid, Lisette M.
Reiter, Jack R.
Rodriguez, Jose M.
Scales, Edwin A.
Stein, Douglas H.
Swartz, Jeffrey D.
Friday, September 03, 2010 7:43:00 PM
Now if you want more specifics on WHO these folks actually are (not just names), well then you should also review prior posts, because comments were made about their abilities and who would be some of the better choices, but perhaps the Captain may weigh in further with his opinions.
I agree about the police union boss. When he gets involved in a police criminal case, all he cares about is how the union looks and not what will happen to the individual cops.
John Rivera is a cop too. You would think he would be against crime, even when a cop is the bad guy but,no, to him cops should never be prosecuted. That is why he put Al Milian up to run twice against Kathy Rundle.
That union is a nightmare. The boss runs it like a RICO operation.
Screw the crooked cops. I hope they get 20 years.
I am posting this anonymously because I fear for my safety and I do not believe in an afterlife.
As an atheist I tend to keep out of religious talk and controversies, as I do not understand the metaphysical underpinnings of it nor do i really respect how fanatical people get about religion. But in this case I cannot help it.
I will burn the Bible, Koran, Torah and any other religios book I come across from here until September 11, 2010, and will post it on youtube. I will post a link onto this blog and I hope you post it. Religion and the belief in a deity is bullshit, it is the result of ignornace, it should stop and we should over time move away from all religios beliefs. Now, this is my system of beliefs. I do not impose it on anyone, not even my kids. But the thought that Preacher Jones can hold the entire nation and world hostage by his "I hate Islam" charade, and then his apparent but false negotiation with the New York Iman makes this whole episode sickening.
Not a call from anyone, not even from God, will stop me from doing this. If the world blows itself up because of my actions, so be it.
For fucks sake already!
We live in such a moral country...check this out and see what you think
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/us-troops-allegedly-took-afghan-fingers-as-kill-souvenirs/19626565
The Third District is white, hostile to defendants, unfamilar with life at an income level below $200,000 per year, and desparately in need of someone who can bring intellect, diversity, and humanity to the Court. God willing, Orlando Prsecott will be Judge Cope's replacement.
10:22 pm you must be OLD and WISE. You are right on point.
7:39 - hear, hear. I too am an atheist (as is Roy Black, btw - it's on his Facebook profile), and I am sick and tired of having religion imposed on me by the courts ("So help me god"), on our currency ("In god we trust"), during government speeches, etc. In today's society it's perfectly ok to discriminate against atheists and brand them as social scourges and pariahs just because we refuse to believe in the fairy tale BS that has consumed a majority of the population. The actions of this mental midget preacher/pastor/whatever in G'ville have certainly inspired me to become more active in atheist/humanist causes. Ok, enough ranting for one day. Thanks for the soapbox, Rump.
9:02 The atheist thing is interesting, but you need a church and you need to think about what you would put on the little sign board out front. Then, there is the need for some kind of symbol on the wall in the front. Once you have all of that, you will then be free to screw the women or boys in the congregation and steal from the plate. It is only then that you will truly appreciate your error in not appreciating religion.
Why is ancient greek god-nonsense "mythology," but equally un-verifiable modern god-nonsense "religion?
Thank you Altfield, Internal Affairs and the Jury for a job well done. Daniel Fernandez's "I am above the law mentality" is exactly why he is where he is. The KING has been taken down. I only hope that he has to serve some time in jail, even a year in jail- He needs to suffer the same hell he put people through as a so called cop.
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