Florida

Sequestered juror’s Internet surfing at issue in Palm Beach polo mogul’s DUI manslaughter retrial

After juror issues required retrial of a multimillionaire charged with causing a fatal accident while driving drunk in his $200,000 Bentley, a Florida court selected the next jury in Tampa and then sequestered it. But, barely a week after the new jury was secluded in an unidentified hotel, Palm Beach…

Oct 20, 2014 1:10 PM CDT

Judge clears courtroom after noticing police report said arrestee claimed to have Ebola

It isn’t just hospitals that are revamping procedures to deal with individuals who might have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus. A Florida judge on Friday cleared a courtroom after noticing that an arrest report said a defendant facing charges of battery, resisting without violence and disorderly conduct had…

Oct 17, 2014 12:10 PM CDT

Former bank exec indicted, accused of aiding disbarred attorney Scott Rothstein’s $1.2B fraud

A fired Toronto Dominion Bank executive has been federally indicted in a wire fraud and conspiracy case, accused of aiding now-disbarred attorney Scott Rothstein in a $1.2 billion investment fraud. In addition to allegations that he helped Rothstein steal millions of dollars of investor money from trust accounts at TD…

Oct 10, 2014 3:30 PM CDT

Potential juror is jailed over Internet research on billionaire’s DUI manslaughter case

A potential juror in billionaire John Goodman’s high-profile drunken-driving manslaughter case was jailed for contempt of court Thursday after telling another member of the jury pool that the Florida trial now getting underway is a retrial. Under questioning by Palm Beach County Chief Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Colbath and attorneys,…

Oct 10, 2014 10:15 AM CDT

Credit card charge of $600 isn’t processed, sending man to jail, but same card is good for $1K bail

When Don Marcani went to the VIP section of a Florida bar last week, he expected to have no problem paying his tab with a credit card. But when the $600 charge didn’t immediately go through he wound up arrested by Fort Lauderdale police and charged with grand theft, NBC…

Oct 9, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

Inmate dies in custody after letter telling of threats by guard; lawyers seek DOJ probe

Lawyers for the family of a Florida inmate who died in custody have released her letter telling of fears that a prison sergeant would beat and kill her. Lawyers for the family of the inmate, Latandra Ellington, have written to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting an investigation, report the Miami…

Oct 9, 2014 2:35 PM CDT

Racketeering suit says law firm aided sunken-treasure fraud, seeks $10M in damages

An investor group has filed a federal racketeering suit against a well-known Delaware law firm and one of its partners, contending that they aided and abetted a sunken treasure fraud concerning emeralds a client claimed to have discovered undersea off the Florida coast. The alleged participation of Bruce Silverstein and…

Oct 9, 2014 10:50 AM CDT

SCOTUS to consider ethics rule banning judicial candidates from soliciting contributions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to decide the constitutionality of a Florida judicial conduct rule that bars judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign contributions. At issue is whether the ban violates the First Amendment, report the Washington Post and the New York Times. Federal appeals courts have split…

Oct 3, 2014 7:28 AM CDT

Man who shot teen in loud-music dispute convicted of murder in retrial with ‘racial overtones’

Jurors in Florida on Wednesday convicted a software developer of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a teen following a dispute over loud music in a gas station parking lot. Jurors convicted 47-year-old Michael Dunn in a retrial, report First Coast News, CNN and the New York Times. Prosecutors…

Oct 2, 2014 7:58 AM CDT

Imprisoned ex-cop gets 18 months more for putting ‘Miami Mice’ recording of fellow officers online

Two days before he began serving a four-year sentence in a federal corruption case, a former Miami police sergeant posted telephone recordings of two ex-colleagues on YouTube and a law enforcement site. Entitled “Miami Mice,” the clip was intended to embarrass two officers who worked under Raul Iglesias when he…

Sep 26, 2014 4:40 PM CDT

Man gets 90 days for taking cellphone photos in court

Roy Davis caught the attention of a Florida judge on Thursday when the 22-year-old Ohio man reportedly began taking courtroom photos on his cellphone. Ordered by Duval County Judge James Daniel to approach the bench, Davis initially refused but stopped resisting when a court officer aimed a stun gun at…

Sep 25, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

White & Case opens new services center in Florida

White & Case has opened a new facility in Tampa, Florida, to provide centralized support services for the firm. Some New York employees will relocate to work there, and the firm will hire others locally, the Tampa Bay Times reports. “Our goal is to create a services center that serves…

Sep 25, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

SEC spent $8.6M collecting $3.7M from former corporate raider in $62M case

Once a high-profile corporate raider, Paul Bilzerian was convicted of fraud in 1989 and served 13 months. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission won a $62 million judgment in a subsequent civil suit. Now, more than 20 years later, the SEC is winding up its efforts to collect. The final…

Sep 18, 2014 1:25 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw partner gets 13 months in tax case, admits he owes $924K to US

A former partner at McDermott Will & Emery in Miami has been sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for failing to file multiple tax returns. Steven Siff, 56, was taken into custody immediately after his sentencing in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, reports the Sun-Sentinel. He admitted he had stopped…

Sep 12, 2014 11:35 AM CDT

Prosecutor resigns amid video voyeurism investigation

A Florida prosecutor has resigned after a screaming woman at a Gainesville tanning salon accused him of using his cellphone to record her in her underwear from above the tanning room wall. Assistant State Attorney William Ezzell of the 8th Circuit resigned on Tuesday, report the Gainesville Sun, First Coast…

Sep 11, 2014 10:18 AM CDT