On February 21, 1972 President Nixon went to China and met Chairman Mao.
It made some news.
In 2024 your Miami State Attorney Kathy Rundle sat down with the Board of the FACDL to discuss whatever might have been on their mind....(* cough cough*).
You asked for it (in the comments section) and you got it.
The long anticipated UPDATE on the FACDL/ Kathy Rundle meeting.
It may not have been a Marjorie Taylor Greene (Rep- batsh%t crazy)/ AOC Kumbaya meeting; maybe somewhere between Nixon/Mao and Trump/Obama sitting in the Oval. You decide.
And, in case you're wondering, we are posting this WITH permission of FACDL because no troublemakers we.
Dear Members,
I wanted to update you about my meeting with the State Attorney. The decisions made by the State Attorney following our meeting will affect all of us and our clients, so I will continue to be transparent as we push for change.
Zena Duncan (our President-Elect) and I attended on behalf of FACDL-Miami. The State Attorney attended, along with Howard Rosen (her Executive Assistant) and Jose Arrojo. Jose Arrojo is returning to the State Attorney’s Office after a six-year stint as the Executive Director of Ethics and Public Trust for the County.
Zena and I presented the State Attorney, Mr. Rosen, and Mr. Arrojo with a binder of 15 specific examples of clear prosecutorial misconduct addressed in recent or pending motions by our members. We also provided specific examples of recurring issues in County Court. And we stressed that most, if not all, of these issues were brought to the attention of supervisors at the SAO – but rarely did prosecutors face consequences for their actions. We also kept returning to our main point that the problem is bigger than these individual examples, and that it is the duty of the State Attorney’s Office to investigate and resolve the issues.
We eventually discussed our proposed solution of a Prosecution Integrity Unit, which contains a Conviction Integrity Unit (re-examining convictions where there may be issues of misconduct) and a Case Integrity Unit (to advise prosecutors on ethical issues in open cases and to field concerns from the defense bar about open cases). We were insistent that this Unit needed to be run by someone who does not have current or past employment with the State Attorney’s Office.
The State Attorney did not make any decisions at the meeting. She asked for 45 days to investigate the issues and proposals that we’d brought to her attention before meeting again to discuss. We agreed to that timeline – but I asked that if decisions were made before the 45 days, I’d like to be informed, and the State Attorney agreed.
In addition to our meeting in 45 days, we’ve agreed to re-invigorate the FACDL-Miami/SAO Liaison Committee. In recent years, the Committee has existed on our end, but we’ve gotten no response on their end. The State Attorney agreed that she would appoint experienced prosecutors and supervisors at her office that would meet with us periodically to address current issues identified by the defense bar.
Please continue to bring issues of misconduct to my attention and I will continue to highlight to the State Attorney the need for change. Once the State Attorney has made decisions on what actions she will take, the Board will consider any additional steps the organization needs to take to address misconduct.
Lauren Field Krasnoff
President, FACDL-Miami
85 comments:
That’s it?!? That’s all the FACDL got? We’ll think about it and get back to you. After more than two months since the MVZ scandal and since the FACDL published its scathing rebuke, that’s the best the SAO could say? They haven’t had enough time to consider any reforms yet? Nada? 🤦♂️
The FACDL was played and out-maneuvered. Arrojo lead the team to their first victory. He’s barely back and already producing favorable results.
La Madrina and Talpins intentionally absent. Hmmm. Wonder why? Perhaps because they can’t bear to be in the same room as some defense lawyers as rumors indicate. Or perhaps their absence was a tacit admission by Kathy that they are seen as part of the problem - culprits, enablers, intransigents, recalcitrants.
Another big fuck you!
Ill be on a plane most of the afternoon. Have some patience and I'll get the comments up when I land unless the NetJet has wifi- my last two did not or it was not working. But usually I take a nap after the lunch of lobster tacos and jackfuit salad.
Talpins and honorable should not be in same sentence. Look at him try to play Borchew and get burned hard. La Madrina makes shit up as she goes, rewrites history, and should not be trusted by anyone as she is the master manipulator behind the scenes.
FACDL very disappointing!
La Madrina needs another job please.
WIN AT ALL COSTS
La Madrina spews venom about defense lawyers, but isn’t her husband a criminal defense lawyer? He must be the only ethical one. I wonder if there’s any written policies at the SAO about this situation in order to avoid any appearances of impropriety? NOT!
Taji Pearson coming out. Talpins is FUCKED.
Talpins can’t supervise his way out of a paper bag. He ignores everything till it Blows up.
It’s is disgusting that people are calling her La Madrina.
FACDL - is this what we get for our dues!!!!????
Let’s see how they will spin the newest scandal to KFR - idiots.
"FACDL's efforts to address the institutional prosecutorial misconduct issue are far inferior to what I would do, which is bitch about it to my friends"
What a joke of a meeting.
Play with Borchew and get burned! :-)
It’s amazing how many lawyers whine , cry, insult, bad talk, back stab and moan about practically every topic and every person So many toxic wusses read this blog
I bet if you’d made this comment using your name they’d happily return your dues.
Pearson was a MVZ special… Just like Corey Smith… just like many other defendants who will hopefully get their [fair] day in court. The problem is the office facilitates and enables MVZ specials to go unchecked. And as we all know, no defendant is being prosecuted by MVZ, or Talpins, or Mitchell. They are being prosecuted by the State of Florida. They share the obligation. So when one fails, they all do. Do we cut off the head of the snake? Do we remove the bad apples? Has the bunch been spoiled? Who knows.
Pardon my ignorance… who are they referring to?
Coming to the party late. Who’s La Madrina?
Sounds like the most anti-climatic meeting in the history of Miami law. Thanks for coming…don’t let the door hit you in the ass.
Fake ST in da house!!!
Can I get a woo woo?
Can I get a meee too?
Free Dunkin’ ds for the house! Yup step right up and take one and only one. Share share that’s fair. Just grab one and move on. We have a big line. You get what you get and you don’t get upset.
Now let’s hit those courtrooms. Jail for first time dwls. Jail for the .07 first duis because we know this wasn’t your first time baby.
Jail for those disorderly conduct cases because quality of life matters.
Push back from the defense? Just give em my cell and tell em to HMU but you guys know I got your back. Hehehehe.
Ok go hit em and hit em hard ….. and hey hey hey
Let’s send em to jail today!!!
(SAO morning county court rally )
Do I have to pay dues to see that binder of corruption? Feels like that should be posted for everyone to see.
Below is Kathy’s office wide email announcing Arrojo’s return. No doubt he brings back a great deal of government ethics experience, in fact this is the clear implication of the message (i.e., he’ll have some role in ethics related matters). No doubt he’s returned as a General and not a soldier, so he will lead soldiers into battles based on his training and experience. Which leads to the following questions:
1. Is experience in countywide ethical issues (e.g., whether the county should buy furniture from a county employee’s wife’s furniture store) the same as experience in prosecutorial ethical issues? Is the law the same? Same considerations? Same consequences for the accused?
2. When was the last time Arrojo dealt with a prosecutorial ethical issue? Brady? Giglio? Briefed and/or argued related matters? Conducted a related evidentiary hearing? When was the last time he handled a criminal case? A murder case? When was the last time he stood before a criminal division judge for anything?
3. Has Arrojo ever practiced criminal defense? Does he really understand our roles? And not from an academic perspective, but from a real life understanding of what we do? Hopefully, because his fellow chiefs do not.
4. Will he be involved in the Smith case? He should, I hope, as the new face (at least by implication) of ethics and integrity at the SAO.
5. Will he lead a new and improved conviction review unit? How about a prosecution integrity unit? Will he have the authority to hire from outside, hopefully attorneys who have experience in criminal defense and who haven’t recently retired from the SAO.
I hope that these and other relevant considerations are being addressed and will be part of whatever internal review the SAO is doing as a result of the ethical and integrity mess they find themselves in. Otherwise, this will be a tragically missed opportunity.
May 15, 2024.
Please join me in welcoming back Jose Arrojo as he returns to our office as a Chief Assistant State Attorney and a key member of my leadership team. Many of you will remember Jose from his prior 20-plus years in our office, including over 14 years as my Chief Assistant State Attorney over many Felony Trial divisions and Special Prosecutions.
Jose left us to become the Executive Director of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics
and Public Trust, which serves as the primary ethics oversight and enforcement agency for Miami-Dade County and over 34 other municipalities. During that time, Jose developed an expertise in ethical local governance, and he regularly provided ethics guidance and opinions to elected officials, charter officers, board members and local government employees. On his return home to his SAO family, he will bring this unique skill set to our office.
Jose has shared with me that he is excited to return to our office and once again join our team as we continue to rise to the occasion, meet challenges and serve our community. I assured him that we too are excited for his return.
Again, please join me in a big “welcome home” to Jose.
I don't understand what the expectations were for people saying the meeting was a joke or a failure. They gave KFR problems and solutions. Did anyone expect she'd immediately get on her knees, apologize, fire 10 prosecutors, and hire someone to create a new unit that hasn't existed in the decades she's been running the office? If nothing is done in 45 days, let's see what FACDL does. I thought they made pretty clear this wasn't the end.
Lol, “do I have to pay dues to reap the benefits of membership?”
To Those complaining:
I have not been the president of FACDL Miami for quite a few years, but I can tell you as any past prez can, it is full time unpaid job. I know hours were spent gathering information, specifics, putting together evidence before this meeting. This was not a stroll in and bitch session. I have no doubt evidence was presented and change was strongly advocated for. When immediate concessions to your liking were not had, did you expect them to throw hands in KFR office? Meanwhile, I am certain this not the end of the FACDL KFR saga.
Also, I'm sure all those complaining have volunteered countless hours to move the needle on all of the issues FACDL has fought for in the past and continues to do so in the future on behalf of all of the defense bar. No? none? shocking.
Carmen M. Vizcaino
Pearson got what he had coming.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article288591491.html?&lctg=256833395#path=fbltz
Love the blog and lovin Fake ST. My Clerk’s were laughing so hard today in our conference.
Keep up the good work Rumpole. We read you here in DC.
The ol “where are you while we are working for you” guilt routine Carmen. *yawn*
Really Carm? You can do better
an so can FACDL
Kathleen Hoague, although I don’t think the nickname is fitting. She’s driving that ship into a cliff. Whatever legacy KFR has left will be destroyed because she’s listening to Kathleen.
Don't like how prosecutors operate? Don't commit crimes!
1:39, better how? Truly, aside from repeatedly seeking input from the whole of FACDL-Miami (some of whom participate, some of whom don't), requesting and obtaining a meeting with those in a position to effect change, advocating for said change, and informing the membership, what is your more?
Criticism is great when accompanies by solutions What are yours? Help us out.
7:23 has a good idea: Publicize the cases in the binder of corruption. See, 1:39? That's value added.
-Michelle Estlund
1:39, better how? Truly, aside from repeatedly seeking input from the whole of FACDL-Miami (some of whom participate, some of whom don't), requesting and obtaining a meeting with those in a position to effect change, advocating for said change, and informing the membership, what is your more?
Criticism is great when it comes with good ideas. What are yours? Help us out.
7:23 has a good idea. Publicize the cases in the binder of corruption. See, 1:39? That's value added.
-Michelle Estlund
Stephen “We Did Nothing Wrong, Then, Now, or Ever” Mitchell has entered the chat.
I could name a few that should be fired at the SAO.
Forget the courthouse there are some inappropriate activities going on inside the Graham Building. Maybe a little inappropriate romances.
Play with some of the staff at the SAO you’ll feel a burn in the morning.
Do tell!!!
That’s every ASA supervisor and support staff supervisor at the SAO. Sweep it under the rug praying it goes away until bam shit hits the fan.
I think Lorna should walk around and make rounds and see what a complete shit show is going on.
Dopey Daisy
I pray you get what you have coming :-*
I’m a board member of the FACDL. Jose is a piece of garbage and the FACDL was played. We need a more aggressive response.
Carmen, I’m complaining. I’m a board member. I volunteer my time. And I’m not easily offended. I get the point you tried to make, but it’s a bit defensive and misses the point of the complaints. Rundle rehired someone who has spent his career sweeping ethical issues under the rug instead of someone to clean house. We’re being played.
La Madrina = Daisy
Why is he a POS?
Donald Trump? What are you doing here?
Former ASA here.
Met Steve Talpins when I was a 2L in law school and interned at the SAO. He was my DC several years later. Since I left the office, I've become a long time member of the defense bar. I handled active cases with him and about 50 Rule 3's. He will always give you a fair shake and he is as ethical as they come. Of course, everything is dependant on the case or the defendant. If you are representing some guy with 32 priors and charged with Armed Robbery, you're not getting much sympathy. But isnt that how it is supposed to be?
Steve is a stand up guy and a straight shooter. Unethical? Not a chance.
All my clients are innocent and entitled to due process. Obviously you have no idea how the legal system works. Your definitely indoctrinated in the corruption.
11:37 fuck due process I guess?
The SAO is the biggest, baddest gang in Miami. Fitting and ironic that Mitchell is Chief of Gangs Unit.
And the real Stephen Talpins has entered the chat.
My clients are innocent. They are entitled to due process.
That Herald article could not have made Kathy happy. It basically looks like she is too incompetent to run her office and needs Jose to come in and clean it up. Yikes.
I don’t commit the crimes, I represent my clients and work very hard to make sure they have due process.
Prosecutors are supposed to be the good guys, remember? They have to play fair even if others don't. Janet Reno was resolute about that. How far things have slid.
Please take it easy guys. We can state our positions without personally attacking or belittling people. Change comes when people speak up. Demeaning and hurting and calling names will not help and can push people further than you intend to push. Everyone is human and most are trying to do the best they can. Show some grace please for all involved and think before name calling and trying to publicly humiliate anyone.
But… a defendant “getting what they have coming” is not the ethical standard for prosecutors. Oh, you must be a prosecutor.
What a joke of an office
Mitchell’s mouth gets him in trouble
ASA’s negligible behavior on their support staff is incredibly damming. The office’s blind eye is disgusting.
The office is imploding.
It is well known that the way Kathy manages her leadership is by putting them against each other or directing they be pitted against each other bad mouthing one to the other. This has been her tactic for years. If this is true, why does it surprise anyone that the ship is suddenly taking on water?? Jose can hopefully be a voice of reason to right this situation.
I’d voluntarily feel a burn in the morning to NOT have to do that with any SAO staff…
Just wait until the next Herald article comes out….
Please publicly release the binder of corruption. That will allow folks to review it, things to be added to it, and for folks to know when there is a pattern with a particular prosecutor or type of misconduct. If this were done with police officers that would also be helpful in terms of Brady. Everyone knows there are certain officers that can’t be trusted. Is that documented anywhere? Maybe look to see how other jurisdictions handle this. For an office that claims to be ahead of other offices, they are behind with candid, timely and complete Brady disclosures.
Spoiler alert: I'm about to delve into personal territory.
Kathy's office suits many, but it wasn't a fit for me. When I last applied, I faced accusations of dishonesty. Despite completing my three-year stint, I felt the strain as my personal life grew more demanding. As a single divorced father raising my daughter alone and my father who lived in New York, having declining memory (dementia) and health, I met with Don Horn at the 4 year, 9 month mark, about a potential solution as I was an A-level ASA in a high volume division. However, Don Horn's response was cold, he flat out refused to help, and left me with no choice but to resign. I wrote a resignation letter indicating I was planning to move to New York to take care of him. However, I had reservations about taking my daughter from Florida because her family was here.
I lucked out, finding a staff attorney position working within the court system. Despite challenges, my new employer was reasonable, worked with me, and my daughter flourished, graduated high school, college, and got married, starting her own family. Meanwhile, my father's passing in 2016 marked a turning point. The support I received from my new employer contrasted sharply with my previous experience at the Miami-Dade SAO, highlighting the stark difference between the two situations.
Some friends pushed me into the idea of returning to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office when a Legal Division position opened up. I told them I did not think it would go well, but my friends insisted, "Try it anyway, humor me." They found my tales of the poor treatment I received from the office inexplicable considering the experience and talent I possessed. Despite initial encouragement, my interview took an unexpected turn when I was accused of leaving under false pretenses by Jose Arrojo.
This strange accusation, coupled with a lack of support when I needed it most, left a bitter taste in my mouth. I realized, that I was blessed to have left the office when I did - because my career skyrocketed after that. I received awards, accolades, honors, praises from the General Counsel and Chief Judges, and went on to have my legal journal articles published either times, twice in the Florida Bar Journal, and the rest in law reviews across the country. The negativity that I experienced at SAO11 was a thing of the past.
Reflecting on my journey with my bad encounter with Don Horn when I tried to find a solution prior to leaving, and the strange sandbagging from Jose Arrojo about a sensitive family situation, I've realized that sometimes, moving on is the best choice. Though my experience may not be universal, it's shaped my perspective. I harbor no ill will, but I've learned to prioritize my well-being. As I look ahead, I hope for positive change within Kathy's office, but I'm content to forge my own path away from there -- a path which only got better, once I got away from an office that nearly ruined my career and really never gave a damn.
This is not everyone's story. But it is mine. And I'm telling it because I'm too old to care whether I should talk about it or not. I am sure there are many people who had wonderful experiences there. I was not one of those people.
Woody Clermont
Kathy is very savvy. She has always manipulated many and been very very good at it. FACDL did the right thing requesting the meeting and setting forth demands for change. It is unfortunate that months have passed from the Smith order and nothing concrete has been done by the SA. She could have literally taken this situation by the balls and turned it to her advantage and righted the wrongs that are being complained of. Instead, she sought to defend the conduct and we are now approaching month 3. She was always known to divide her leadership team which is why they used to meet ahead of time without letting her know and have a pre planned answer or position. It was a matter of survival. My guess is things are still exactly the same and will remain the same.
Enough of this political bullshit Rumpole.
Talk to us about NVIDIA and AI investing.
We depend upon you.
Is this the yearly nerd/whining/complaining/crybaby/wuss convention ? This is criminal law folks , there will be some dirt involved. It is an adversarial process, some deal with it better than others. There is a high turnover rate in governmental offices...some are better than others. Kathy has been fine (yea there will be ebb and flow in her office...like any other office). Stephen Mitchell- can be aggressive yet he is a good guy. Steve Talpins- same thing but he is diligent. MVZ- not my cup of tea, dresses like shoe salesman from the 70's but he was there way too long. Some chiefs don't bend an inch...are they unethical or just too tough? Some supervisors have no life or relationship experience yet determine really important policies...are they they best ones for the job? No, but there are no other takers anyways. It's the latter. Murderers, rapists, death penalty...it's not for the squeamish.
Get a grip. We are talking about real misconduct. "Some dirt" "not for the squeamish" and "aggressive" .......... vastly different than unethical and improper. They should get a job that doesn't have rules of ethics if they cannot abide by them.
Ethics expert, that’s laughable. He is as much an ethics expert as I am an astronaut. First and foremost, let’s start with what he did at the Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. Zero. Look at the current state of corruption in Miami-Dade. Where is Carrollo now? Suarez? Javier Ortiz? De La Porqueria? How long did the City of Miami take to finally get La Madrina II (Vicky) removed as the City Attorney? There is nothing ethical about Miami-Dade. I think a sewer is cleaner. Before that, he did a 23-year stint at the SAO, where he allegedly supervised investigations and prosecutions involving misconduct by elected officials, government employees, and law enforcement officers. The State Attorney also tasked him to review the use of deadly force by police and corrections officers. How many elected officials, law enforcement officers, or government employees were prosecuted during his stay at the SAO? We can agree that it is close to zero. The feds and FDLE always have to pick up the mess. Arrojo and Joe Centorino were planted at the Ethics Commission to keep things tidy for all the influential people in Miami and KFR (Ask Regalado, Gort, and Rivera what happened to their investigations). His greatest hits while at the SAO: ghost/sham dockets for informants, he authored many of those closeout memos (cough cough excuses not to charge officers for questionable conduct), disappeared disciplinary records of bad officers at the defunct Metro-Dade Police Department (he was also a PBA Attorney). It’s all online. What do you think he is going to do (or hide) in 45 days? Let’s be realistic.
I’m going to hope 4:47 you realize you are an idiot… your premises and conclusions are baffling but we need everyone to make it all go around, I guess.
Text messages.
Stephen can you call me? Ass offered jail on first dwls.
Steve can we speak. Asa won’t break down an .04
Stepfen got a sec? Prosecutor says plea offer will be revoked if I file a motion to compel.
Talpens r u in the bldg some shit going down in Bach that’s f’ed up.
Which one am I answering ?
First if they can’t spell my name right then f em.
Second if you picked any of them YOU LOSE
JUST CAUSE U GOT MY CELL DINT ENTITLE U TO A RESPONSE LOL
This is the only one I respond to
Yo dog- Anthony’s coal fired for lunch or that new sushi place on 8th street with the hotties.
ST IN DA HOISE AND ON DA B,OG BABY
Thank you for sharing Woody. You are wonderful.
Release the Binder of Corruption pleaseeeee!
Actually 4:47 is right on point on most everything he said -any defense attorney you know that deals with these individuals regularly (not counting KFR) knows what he said to be true-and the idiot is the person that attacked Kathlene Hogue whom I personally don't know well but I have had her approve many good deals over the years-she is very good and reasonable. And yes there is a diference between State attorney advocating and being unethical- the only current ASA (not talking about MVZ) that I know that even straddles the line is the other AC spoken about in this thread-and as I once had a ROC judge tell me during a PVH- nobody is perfect.
When Judge Pooler steps down at the end of this year, Kathy should hire her as an Inspector General. I believe everybody believes and trusts her to be fair, and that is very important. I am not impressed by the appointment of Mr. Arrojo. It seems a bit incestuous.
Kathy = narcissist
Are you high?????
Please go back to school and figure out who hires or rather appoints the Inspector General. I’m stunned that this is the level of lawyers we are all forced to deal with and expend our brain cells on….
KFR is not interested in fairness. She is interested in having Arrojo as her henchman. The 45-day request is to strategize on burying all the skeletons and shuffle some controversial characters across the office to lower the tension. Arrojo is the worst choice for those who want transparency and fairness. He is the total opposite. He's proven throughout his career that he can't be trusted to do the right and honorable thing. Watch the SAO become more secret and shady (if that's even possible) moving forward. If KFR wants to make a difference, fire the bad actors and refer them to the Florida Bar.
And to the judges reading this, it’s time to start issuing stern sanctions against unethical prosecutors. Justice is for everyone. Show defendants that we only have one criminal justice system in this country and not various ones that create more injustice. They can't walk around destroying people’s lives without consequences. Part of promoting respect for the law is holding people in the system accountable.
10:33:00 PM: take some Ambien and get some rest. It must be exhausting stomping your feet demanding that judges and prosecutors do what you tell them to. You sound like a bratty child.
@10:30 am. You sound like someone who finds this conduct acceptable. Take a chill pill. And you are incorrect; I am not demanding that they do what I say. I am demanding that they do their job of delivering justice and holding bad actors accountable (just like defendants are held responsible for their actions).
I don't think that is a big ask coming from a taxpayer. Unless, of course, you think we have to settle for mediocrity and corruption in this city, which, in turn, violates the constitutional rights of defendants.
Post a Comment