SFL Friday Follies!

Hey, wasn't that a wonderful investiture for new County Court Judge Spencer Multack?

With the kids, and the best friend, and Judge Holmes -- all good stuff.

Congratulations!

In non-good stuff news, self-described "good deeds" creator (hey, he actually said that!) Stuart Rosenfeldt will have to put his public works projects on hold:

Stuart Rosenfeldt, Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein's former partner and the second "R" in RRA, has been informed by the federal government that he will be indicted on criminal charges, says his attorney.

Rosenfeldt played a public role in representing the crumbling law firm in the aftermath of the implosion of Rothstein's billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. He is one of many former Rothstein law partners and business associates expected to be arrested by the feds prior to December 12, when Rothstein is scheduled to begin a grueling string of civil depositions that are expected to take 10 days to finish.

Several sources say that Russell Adler, the third named partner in the defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm, is among those expected to be charged. Adler's attorney, Fred Haddad, didn't dispel that idea, saying he expects more indictments soon and that the the filing of criminal charges Thursday against two Rothstein associates -- Marybeth Feiss and William Boockvor -- indicated "which way the wind was blowing."

Rosenfeldt's attorney, Bruce Lehr, said federal officials informed him a few months ago that his client was going to be charged criminally. Lehr said he has been given no time frame and has no information on what exactly Rosenfeldt will be charged with.

I don't know -- three guesses, anyone?

Finally, congrats to Big Mike Casey, who along with Richard Tuschman had a judgment vacated by Judge Lenard.

Not bad, kids.

And how was your week?

Of Course Jamie-Lynn Sigler Is Somehow Involved With Rothstein!

Bob Norman breaks it down here, but it involves allegations in the Rothstein investor suit being handled by Bill Scherer, in which a few of the defendants have counterclaimed:

To drum up cash meant to help bail out their millions, the suit claims that Von Allmen worked hand in hand with Clockwork Capital Advisors, a hedge fund run by A.J. Discala, a Hollywood agent and dubious businessman whose claim to fame was having married Jamie-Lynn Sigler, aka Meadow Soprano. The idea was to turn clockwork into the new Banyan, the monster hedge fund run by George Levin that financed much of Rothstein's scheme.

Von Allmen also formed Delaware companies Razorback Funding and D3 Capital Club as vehicles to raise money from unwitting investors into Rothstein's scheme. The suit claims more than 23 investors sank money into the venture. 

Ok, A.J. Discala is a lout of the highest order, so I'm not surprised by this.

But the bigger question is who gets to depose Jamie-Lynn?

(Don't tell me fancy-pants Eliot Lauer, that will just make a bad situation worse).

Gabriel Jose Carrera Really Identifies With Sarah Palin. No, Really.

Bob Norman checks in with Fort Lauderdale immigration attorney and local Tea Party leader Gabriel Jose Carrera, who likes that Mama Grizzly™ Sarah Palin just a teensy teensy bit -- ok, a whole lot:

Carrera is a big fan of right-wing pundits and radio talkers, with his favorites being Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, and Rush Limbaugh, in that order. He's also a friend and believer in Joyce Kaufman. He was of course there for Kaufman's speech (grilling the dogs) during which she proposed bullets as a political remedy. And Carrera said he had a visceral reaction to those words. "I was like, 'Hell yeah!'" he told me. "Is Gabriel Carrera going to run down the street and start shooting any government official? No. I think that statement is more symbolic. It says we can change our government."

He said those words prior to the Giffords shooting and he says nothing has changed about the way he feels since.

Carrera is also, not surprisingly, an ardent supporter of Sarah Palin. "When you make fun of Sarah Palin you are making fun of me," he said. "When you are hitting her, you're hitting me." 

Hmm.

I don't want to "hit" Sarah Palin (I hope no one does).

But when Sarah hurts, Gabe feels her pain?

In fact, according to Bob, this guy has A LOT going on:

He has a tattoo of Confederate flag on his body (he won't say where) but says he didn't put it there in honor of the pro-slavery Confederacy but because he identifies himself as a rebel.

He likes John Lennon but says he is John's ideological opposite.

He is a first-generation Cuban immigrant who makes a living representing illegal immigrants in court yet is "stringently anti-immigration" (do his clients know this?).

He is fervently opposed to health care reform yet he and his wife can't afford any insurance and their kids are on the state health care insurance dole.

And from the video he seems like a perfectly nice man.....

To paraphrase Emerson, consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.

Enough already, I want to interview this guy!

Expect No Mercy.

Does anyone have a handle on how much oil is flooding the Gulf right now?

I scoured the Herald articles today and they seem to be adopting uncritically the "official" 5000 barrels estimate, which equates to 210,000 gallons a day. (This means we will have surpassed the Exxon Valdez spill by mid-June if left unchecked.)

The NYT, however, is reporting potentially higher numbers:

BP told members of Congress the rate could be much, much higher:

In a closed-door briefing for members of Congress, a senior BP executive conceded Tuesday that the ruptured oil well could conceivably spill as much as 60,000 barrels a day of oil, more than 10 times the estimate of the current flow.

A barrel of crude oil contains roughly 42 gallons. In a follow-up story, the Times talked to a BP spokesman for more on the estimate:

"The rate could go up to that," Mr. Suttles of BP said, when asked to verify a report in The Times. "It's not the situation we have at this moment, but it's not impossible."

What are we doing about it? They're working on a "top-hat" maneuver that I admit got me a little bit excited:

the ``top hat'' will be warmed with hot water and injected with methanol....

Sounds intriguing but kids, don't try that at home.

In related news, Governor Crist has appointed former AGs Bob Butterworth and Jim Smith to head up a legal team, presumably to sue the pants off culpable parties:

Gov. Charlie Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum announced Monday that the state is assembling a special legal team to give free legal counsel on the situation.

The team is to be led by former attorneys general Bob Butterworth, who led the state’s lawsuit against tobacco companies in the late 1990s, and Jim Smith, who was attorney general from 1979 to 1987.

“We would hope at the end of the day that there would be no litigation,” Butterworth snickered (oops!) said in a brief afternoon press conference. “But we have to be prepared.”

Speaking of Big Bill, the NYT picks up swlip's "existence tax" argument and looks at how McCollum forum-shopped so he was certain to draw a Republican-appointed judge (he drew Judge Vinson):

The state’s Northern District includes a courthouse in Tallahassee, six blocks from Mr. McCollum’s office. But Mr. McCollum instead filed the case 200 miles away in Pensacola, bypassing a Tallahassee judge who was named by President Bill Clinton and ensuring that the judge would be a Republican appointee.

Bob Norman: welcome to Broweird!

Finally, RIP Frank Frazetta.

Time For Yet Another Blogger Ethics Panel!

Our friends in Broweird, already awash in facacta "investigations," may have another one on their hands, as reported by the always-excellent Bob Norman.

This one, at least, (finally) has some naughty bits:

Local attorney Barbara Heyer, who happens to be the wife of Broward County Judge Marc Gold, sent an oh-so serious letter -- with "exhibits," mind you -- to JAABlog administrator Bill Gelin that basically accused Gelin, a lawyer, of violating the Florida Bar by posting the racy photograph (shown at right) on his blog.

Heyer wrote that she was "dismayed to see the display of a nude woman in a very suggestive and demeaning position" on the blog on April 23. The latter day Queen Victoria continues:

"As you are a member of the Florida Bar, perhaps you need to be reminded that we have certain obligations to the Public and the legal community. Let me refer you to Rule 4-8.4(d), which states, in pertinent part, that a lawyer will not: 'engage in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, including to knowingly, or through callous indifference, disparage, humiliate, or discriminate against litigants, jurors, witnesses, court personnel, or other lawyers on any basis ... on account of race, ethnicity, gender ..."

Heyer, who added the emphasized text, also wrote that "dozens, if not hundreds, of vile comments that have appeared on your blog serve only to embarrass our profession."

The implication is clear here, but it's ridiculous. That photograph didn't humiliate or disparage any lawyers. And don't you just love the way these folks who fear JAABlog always act like their profession is so pure and virtuous? Such high-minded rhetoric might pass the smell test in a meeting of lawyers, but the public damn well knows better.

First question -- is posting to a blog "conduct in connection with the practice of law"?

Second question -- doesn't "knowingly or through callous indifference" mean anything?

Third question -- the letter's a bit much, no?

To the Blogger From the North:

Stay gold, Gelin-boy, stay gold.

Kim Rothstein To Seek "Pre-Ponzi" Assets

So says Brittany Wallman here.

Plus Kim spills the beans of her life story to Stormin' Norman here.

Kim's attorney Scott Saidel explains the "pre-Ponzi assets" game plan:

Kim Rothstein, wife of Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, will seek half of whatever assets they owned before the illegal investment scam began, her lawyer Scott Saidel said. Though they wed well into the Rothstein Ponzi, Saidel said he "gifted'' some assets to her that he'd acquired before that.

"She does have a claim to anything pre-Ponzi,'' he said last week.

A certain smart Guest Blogger suggests this is really dumb, as it will inject Kimmie into the forfeiture and criminal proceedings, where she will be fighting to establish when exactly the Ponzi scheme began and that the "gifts" were not purchased with dirty money.

Does anyone think this is a good idea?

Oh boy I'm getting flashbacks again......

Kim Rothstein Speaks!

Via Bob Norman.

And her interview yesterday with WSVN is here.

Meanwhile, Kim's attorney Scott Saidel has a plan to be paid:

Though the U.S. government has seized assets from her husband worth untold millions, she still has access to some funds. One of her attorneys, Scott Saidel, said he's not being paid but expects he will be when the dust settles and marital assets that the couple obtained before the Ponzi scheme began are returned. Saidel said federal authorities are giving Kim Rothstein access to money to pay mortgages and bills, because she's helping "maximize'' her husband's real estate assets by collecting rents and putting the money in a trust fund. The government has slapped liens on the properties, but for now they are still technically owned by Rothstein.

"She's got very, very limited resources,'' Saidel said.

"Before the Ponzi scheme began"?

Does this make sense?

Good Lord Am I Sick of Scott Rothstein!

How many news cycles can this story dominate?

Scott, this scandal has officially joined the list of Things That I Hate -- in no particular order:

1. Flatbread;
2. The Case That Dare Not Speak Its Name;
3. Any current or former lovers of Drew Barrymore;
4. Metadata;
5. Flavored vodka;
6. Jeremy Piven and/or Brett Ratner;
7. Pesto wraps;
8. Certain Herald TV critics (Glenn was right about V however -- it rocked).

Oh the melodrama:

Rothstein mused that he had three options -- kill himself, live life "on the lam as a fugitive'' or go to prison and risk being killed there because he had made enemies, said the law firm's co-founder, Stuart Rosenfeldt, according to the website. Rosenfeldt talked to Rothstein, urging him to "choose life.''

I bet that's the first time a George Michael T shirt saved a high-powered lawyer from suicide.

Scott seems to possess a perfect storm of characteristics -- talented yet narcissistic, delusions of grandeur, persecution complex, excessive displays of wealth even by South Florida standards, megalomania and a sense that the entire world revolves around him -- in other words, your typical successful South Florida trial lawyer.

Consider the stories coming out -- private elevators, a car fetish, carrying a gun in an ankle holster, blowing $10 million a month.

Indeed, look at the comments section of Bob Norman's "Jewish Avenger" story -- there is definitely something not right about the way Scott engages Norman.

Are there some chemical or other disorders at work here?

Now that he's down, it seems everyone has a negative Rothstein story -- yet some of these folks sat on their feelings or refused to act on them, no?

Roger Stone now says Scott "never added up"; Bill Scherer says "[w]e all wondered where the money came from"; Michael Goldberg says Scott's spending "made no sense." Sunshine Charlie says "I think everybody heard rumors."

My friend Brian Tannebaum wonders how in this recession a firm can go from seven lawyers to seventy and no one questions why or how?

He relates a story of how he drove 40 minutes to meet with Scott for lunch, only to be totally stiffed:

I never met Scott Rothstein. He ducked out a few minutes before our lunch a few years ago. His secretary telling me and his colleague, who set up the lunch: "he went to lunch." There was no further inquiry as we were not entitled to even be standing by his office, an "off-limits" area of the firm. Instead I went to lunch with some other lawyers in the firm who felt they needed to take pity on me for my wasted 40 minute drive, all of them telling me in response to the unprofessional behavior of their king: "I'm not surprised." "That's Scott."

These out-of-control legal types, of which I know many, all have enablers -- those who justify, excuse, or clean up the mess left by the large lives of the bosses they serve, and who not coincidentally benefit from being near to the flame.

Now we know that a seventy lawyer firm, with only two equity partners, really only had one -- as Stuart Rosenfeldt apparently had no signatory authority on certain firm accounts and there is suddenly only $500k left in the firm's operating account.

Judge Streitfeld called Rosenfeldt "clueless" about the firm's finances at a hearing yesterday. Stuart has since invested a large chunk of his own money to keep salaries paid and the firm afloat.

There are lots of victims here, including many many fine lawyers at RRA, but a few of us in the South Florida legal and business communities should probably step up and acknowledge we could have been a bit more proactive on what some apparently suspected all along.

The Return of Scott Rothstein!

His head fully cleared, Scott just touched down from parts unknown and is being whisked to his law firm, which is back to business as usual, if your law firm is routinely surrounded by SWAT teams in bulletproof vests.

BTW, Bob Norman's reporting on Scott from the get-go has been exceptional.

I love the detail ("he flew in on a G-5").

Boy I hope he takes a white Ford Bronco to his office, as some readers have suggested.

Such excitement!