Florida

$1M overbilling claim leads to criminal case against lawyer and office manager

A former office manager for a small Florida law firm who was federally indicted earlier this month, along with her ex-boss, in an alleged conspiracy to overbill a client by $1 million has taken a plea. Maria Hassun pleaded guilty to one theft count in federal court in Fort Lauderdale…

May 30, 2013 6:00 PM CDT

Activist ex-prosecutor ‘indicts’ Obama, Holder, Justice Roberts and others

Claiming that a so-called citizens grand jury has the power to indict and try top U.S. officials, a former federal prosecutor well-known for his conservative activism and views has convened such a panel in Ocala, Fla. It has now “indicted” a number of top members of the Obama administration, including…

May 30, 2013 4:12 PM CDT

Public defenders can reject cases because of excessive workloads, state supreme court rules

Updated: The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Miami-Dade County public defender’s office could withdraw from a large chunk of felony cases because of excessive workloads, the Miami Herald reported. Describing what it called a “damning indictment” of representation for poor criminal defendants, the court divided 5-2 on the…

May 28, 2013 11:30 AM CDT

Windshield note says pedestrian keyed SUV to enforce traffic law against bad driver

A woman who authorities say left a note on the windshield of a SUV explaining that she had keyed the vehicle because the driver failed to yield to a pedestrian has been arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reports the Tampa Bay Times. “Hey I keyed your car,” reads the…

May 23, 2013 3:15 PM CDT

Man accidentally dialed 911 as he was planning a murder, authorities say

A Florida man has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly dialing 911 by accident as he was discussing his plan to commit the crime. Authorities say Scott Simon, 24, got into an argument at a restaurant, then called 911 by accident as he was following the soon-to-be-victim home earlier…

May 23, 2013 10:30 AM CDT

Man being questioned about Boston Marathon bombings is shot to death by FBI agent

A man being questioned by authorities in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings was shot and killed in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. Ibragim Todashev, 27, a Chechen who had previously lived in Boston before moving to Orlando, was shot to death by an FBI agent after, the FBI said, “[a]…

May 22, 2013 4:20 PM CDT

Did convicted ‘Cold Blood’ murderers in Capote novel also kill a Florida family?

When four members of a Kansas farm family were found dead in their home in 1959, the detective in charge of the investigation thought the culprit must be a local man with a grudge against the head of the family. Authorities hesitated for several days before pursuing a lead from…

May 17, 2013 7:44 PM CDT

Teen won’t be criminally charged over exploding water bottle she called a science project fail

All criminal charges have been dropped against a Florida teen who initially faced an adult felony case after she mixed household chemicals in a water bottle and it exploded on school grounds. Kiera Wilmot, 16, has said the incident was a failed effort to develop possible science project. But even…

May 16, 2013 8:20 PM CDT

Lawyer extradited from Nicaragua is accused of role in $137M fraud scheme

An American lawyer has been deported from Nicaragua after authorities say he tried to get a passport there using a fake birth certificate and is being extradited to Florida, where he will face federal prosecution for his alleged role in a $137 million stock-investment fraud scheme. Lawrence Hartman is accused…

May 16, 2013 6:10 PM CDT

Appeals court upholds 20-year sentence for ex-judge convicted of stealing $80K

A 20-year prison term for a former Miami judge has been upheld by a Florida appeals court. Former Circuit Judge Phillip Davis had argued that the sentence was excessive, because he had turned down a plea deal that could have gotten him only a four-year prison term. But the 3rd…

May 16, 2013 3:45 PM CDT

Florida Supreme Court authorizes judges to appoint foreclosure magistrates

Some lawyers who represent homeowners are criticizing an order by the Florida Supreme Court that authorizes chief judges to appoint “general magistrates” to handle foreclosure cases. The court issued the order on Thursday, saying it would help “efficiently process,” foreclosures, report the Associated Press and the Palm Beach Post. Final…

May 10, 2013 1:18 PM CDT

Lawyer with little experience can’t withdraw at 11th hour from death-penalty defense, judge says

Gerald Bettman runs a two-attorney law office in Jacksonville, Fla. In addition to criminal defense, the lawyers also focus on divorce and personal injury matters. He has never represented a defendant sentenced to the death penalty during the flurry of appeals that precedes a scheduled execution once the death warrant…

May 9, 2013 6:00 PM CDT

Jones Day opens new office in Miami, its first in Florida

Jones Day has opened a new office in Miami, its first in Florida, in a move that is expected to expand its Latin American practice. Bankruptcy partner Pedro A. Jimenez, who is a native of the city. will head the office, which the the 16th in the U.S. and the…

May 9, 2013 4:05 PM CDT

Cops can’t search cellphone seized at arrest, Florida Supreme Court says; will case go to SCOTUS?

A cellphone is different from a cigarette pack, the Florida Supreme Court says in a ruling requiring police to get a warrant before searching cellphones seized during an arrest. The ruling deepens the split on the constitutionality of cellphone searches incident to arrest, according to the Volokh Conspiracy. “The Florida…

May 3, 2013 1:02 PM CDT

2 lawyers who say their bookkeeper fled to Argentina with $4.8M in client funds are disbarred

Two Florida lawyers who say their bookkeeper embezzled $4.8 million and fled to Argentina have been disbarred. A referee hearing the Florida Bar legal ethics case had recommended that Mark E. Rousso and Leonardo A. Roth merely be temporarily suspended from practice, for 12 and 15 months, respectively. But the…

May 2, 2013 3:15 PM CDT