JUDGE BILL ALTFIELD

Congratulations to Judge Bill Altfield, formerly a public corruptions prosecutor at the Dade State Attorneys Office. Bill ends a distinguished career as a prosecutor that must have spanned at least 25 years. He now begins what we believe will be an equally distinguished career as a Judge in County Court and perhaps beyond.

The Governor has now appointed at least four Dade Prosecutors in the last six months and elevated Judge Brennan, who had a distinguished career as a prosecutor. The Governor also named a Broward Prosecutor to the Dade County Court bench as well today. To paraphrase the Joker, "wait till he gets a load of us" here in Dade.

We have no great love for our Governor but this was one decision he got right.

See You In Court.

mqcx/gk-Altfield

BIG WIN FOR BILL ALTFIELD

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.

As the Herald reports today (the title of the post links to the article)

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.