PHOTOS FROM SHARPSTEIN EVENT PLUS THE GRINCH

UPDATE: SCRUGGS LEAVES SAO: From Ovalle's Herald article: “I’m exploring whether to get back and do law enforcement here or in Alaska,” said Scruggs, 63, whose last day was Friday."
Now there's a quote you don't see every day. 

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/12/controversial-miami-dade-prosecutor-steps-down.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#storylink=cpy

UPDATE: PRO SE, A-OK. The pro-se defendant who was facing life in prison before Judge Rodriguez-Chomat this week was acquitted of all counts Friday after just slightly less than two hours of deliberation by the jury. The defendant was sentenced to 14 years on the PVH, proving that you can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride. 

Courtesy of David Ovalle's twitter @davidovalle305, here are some pictures from the event unveiling the plaque honoring our dear colleague Richard Sharpstein. 

Also- a few alert readers sent us a picture in which they are sure they have proof of the Grinch, planing to steal christmas. (see below) 

Three curious judges….

Two happy judges….

a packed house, including big-wig ASAs

can you spot the Grinch, albeit a well dressed one, planning on stealing christmas? 

SHARPSTEIN MEMORIAL

On December 11, 2014, there will be a service in our courthouse to memorialize our colleague Richard Sharpstein, who died earlier this year. There will be a plaque hung on a wall. The expenses for this have admirably been covered by donations by ASAs, the FACDL and the league of prosecutors.

Mark your calendars and attend this event. 

ARRESTED:
There has  been an arrest in the armed robbery of retired Judge Scott Silverman. The Herald/Ovalle article is here. 


Speaking of Miami's ace crime reporter, when you see him this week prowling the hallways of the REGJB, make sure to offer to buy him a cup of coffee and commiserate with him. The Dolphins "nipped" his Chargers Sunday, 37-0. Tough loss. 

Stephen ImMasche and Juan Gonzalez went down in the survivor pool with an ill-fated pick of the 49ers. They had a good nine week run. We are down to 4: Michael Grieco, Plea D, Fake Alex Michaels and Dustin Tischler. 

It's cool outside! Enjoy. 
See you in court. 

DEATH WILL HAVE HIS DAY

Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day.” 
― William Shakespeare, Richard II


Richard's funeral will take place at Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach today at 1:30. The address is 4144 Chase Avenue.
The funeral will be live streamed ( a first for us) at Temple Beth Shalom Website. 

 For Sharpie 

It seemed a bright and sunny day 

when our friend Richard passed away. 

A razor wit, a silver tongue, 

upon each word of his we hung. 

He walked with grace and spoke with pride, 

all loved to be there by his side 

to hear the tales of battles won, 

of wars he’d fought, of wrongs undone. 

If only we could learn his skill 

to bend a courtroom to his will! 

To turn the tide, to find the way 

to bring back light on rainy days. 

When storm clouds gathered, skies grew dark, 

Richard’s was the name we’d hark- 

for he could see the sun obscured 

and find a path to light restored. 

If only we had known the wrath 

of storms that darkened Richard’s path 

Could we have lent what we had learned 

to help our friend at our turn? 

What clouds were these that darkened skies 

the day that our friend Richard died? 

-Jason Grey 

“For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings;
How some have been deposed; some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Some poison'd by their wives: some sleeping kill'd;
All murder'd: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thus
Comes at the last and with a little pin” 
― William Shakespeare, Richard II


A reader sent us this email. It speaks for itself:

I wanted to mention an example the way judges felt about Richard. After the post-argument renewal of a Rule 29 motion in USA v. Craig Toll, in a case that Richard and Ari tried 4 months ago, Judge Dimitrouleas spoke about the case and Richard:

THE COURT:  Well, I think -- at this point, I think I'm going to stick with my prior decision, that it's a question of fact for the jury, and deny your Rule 29 motion.  BUT I WILL SAY THAT I'VE HEARD A LOT OF CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN MY TIME, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE EVER HEARD A BETTER CLOSING ARGUMENT THAN MR. SHARPSTEIN GAVE YESTERDAY.

WHO KNEW?

Who knew that Chief Judge Moreno was Richard Sharpstein's intern at the Dade SAO? (comment courtesy of "The Chief")

Who knew that Sharpie would routinely come back from court when he was a  prosecutor, in the dog-house with then circuit court and soon to be 3rd DCA Judge (and a legendary chief Judge of that court)  Alan Schwartz? (Comment courtesy of legendary prosecutor Abe Laeser). Apparently most of Abe Laeser's limited experience as a defense counsel was in defending Sharpie, his C prosecutor, from possible contempt proceedings. 

Who knew that Richard was a legendary camp counselor as a teen? (Comments from several of his campers). 

A life is so much more than the sum of it's parts; like a painting is more than just individual brush strokes. The things we do, great and small,  add brush strokes to the canvas. Then at the end, our friends and family step back and look at the canvas. Sharpie painted a rich, full masterpiece. So did Stuart Markus- DOM's dad who passed away Sunday. Stuart Markus was remembered as a lawyer who never said "no" to a client in need. What a remarkable life he led, and what a wonderful example he set for the rest of us. 

What are you painting? Are you living each day to the fullest? Making the world better; helping a friend who is troubled or a stranger down on their luck? Are you giving a smile and stopping for a chat with the person who cleans the building you work in, or are you saving your time and energy just for those who are above you on life's ladder and can do something for you?  All that you do - all these brush strokes- create the work of art that will someday be your life. That is one thing the comments on the blog about Sharpie and Stuart Markus have taught us. 

For those of you just hired out of law school and working at the PDs or SAO, your whole life is in front of you. And sooner than you think, most of your life will be behind you. Big cases will come and go. But if you don't take the joy out of each day, bring something special to  each moment you interact with someone, and if you don't bring joy and happiness to those you meet (as Sharpie and Stuart Markus did) then your canvas will be dull; gray and black strokes, the picture muddled, the canvas wasted. 

Richard's funeral will take place at Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach. The address is 4144 Chase Avenue.

RICHARD SHARPSTEIN HAS DIED.

UPDATE: A reader submitted a poem, not written for Richard, but very applicable: 

The spark.wpd from Justicebuilding

UPDATE: We're warning you now, this is a hard video to watch if you considered yourself a friend of Sharpy's. 

UPDATE: Richard's funeral will take place at Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach. The address is 4144 Chase Avenue.

His friends called him "Sharpie" and did any criminal defense attorney have a better nick name? 

He was the best amongst us. The brightest. He could hold you spell bound with an argument. He was at the top of his game and had been for many years. When he was in trial, word spread throughout the courthouse and lawyers, young and old, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, would crowd into the courtroom to watch him. Voir dire, opening, cross and closing. You wanted to watch him, a master at his craft, perform. And perform he did. He once gave a closing in federal court wearing an old raincoat, doing a Columbo impersonation. 

One of the best things about Sharpie was that he always had time for a friend, and once you were introduced to him, you were a friend. We chatted with him last week at the REGJB, and as always, we came away from the talk feeling better about our profession and ourselves. 

Sharpie was one of a kind. His like won't be seen again along this way. 

He made our City better.

He made our profession better. 

He made me a better lawyer.

He was truly a giant in his field and a legend. 

His death is cruel and untimely and reminds each of us to cherish our life, cherish our days, respect our work, love our family, and treat all that we meet the way Sharpie did- with a smile, a pat on the back, a joke that brought a smile to your face, a few kind words or a tip on how to handle a tough case. 

We've lost two giants in the Miami Legal community this week. 

David O Markus's father- Stuart Markus, died on Sunday. DOM's blog has a link to a scholarship set up at UM law school in his name.  And as DOM just wrote on his blog,  Stuart Markus and Sharpie are in heaven, trading war stories, cracking each other up with jokes. 

Rest In Peace.