A Florida probation violation is a serious matter that, depending on the circumstances, can result in reinstatement of the original maximum penalty, which may include years in prison. In fact, one might end up being sentenced to years behind bars for doing something that, had they not been on probation,…
Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney Blog
False Teeth Fraud Inquiry Morphs Into Child Porn Investigation in Sunrise
Marino Vigna was a dentist who primarily treated geriatric patients suffering from dementia in nursing homes throughout Southeast Florida. The Florida Attorney General’s office launched an investigation back in 2012 when they received information indicating the dentist may have been engaging in fraudulent billing practices. There were allegations he was…
Smart v. Florida – Rape Trial Will Continue After Juror Misconduct
When a prospective juror in Palm Beach County stated in front of 70 others that a rape case defendant didn’t deserve a fair trail and ought to be “hung outside,” it was opined by the judge to be an attempt to get out of jury duty. The judge said it…
Florida Woman Gets House Arrest for $240k Social Security Fraud
Social Security fraud is addressed under federal statutes – specifically, 42 U.S.C. 1383a. In part, the law defines fraud as having knowledge of the occurrence of any event that would affect one’s initial or continued right to any such benefit or the initial or continued right to any such benefit…
Florida Hit-and-Run Captured on Electronic Devices
Most criminal lawyers will tell you eye witness testimony is incredibly unreliable. There are often many ways to successfully challenge eye witness accounts in court. However, it can be much more challenging when the “witness” is a camera. In this digital age, where everyone has a smartphone, surveillance cameras are…
DUI Manslaughter Defendant Fights for Third Trial in Two Appeals
A battle over blood evidence is one of just two fronts on which a polo club founder is fighting his conviction for DUI manslaughter, following a second trial over a fatal accident in Wellington that killed a 23-year-old recent engineering graduate. Defense attorneys for 52-year-old John Goodman, heir to a…
Broward Reduces Penalties for Possessing Pot
Broward County commissioners have voted unanimously to slash the punishment for those caught in possession of small amounts of marijuana. The measure allows a person to be issued a civil citation instead of an arrest if: –The amount of the drug with which they are caught is 20 grams or…
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to $10 Million Investment Fraud
A 75-year-old man from Broward County admitted in a Fort Lauderdale federal courtroom that he and two others heisted millions of dollars from investors more than 10 years ago, blew a good chunk of it on lavish lifestyles and squirreled away the rest in overseas accounts. Burton Greenberg of Plantation…
Florida DUI Manslaughter, Hit-Run Cases Result in Disparate Sentences
Last month, a South Florida disc jockey was convicted of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in an auto accident that killed a couple in a vehicle stopped at a traffic signal ahead of him. The crash happened in 2013 in Coral Gables. Defendant, Ervens Prudent, is better known in Miami…
Juvenile Facing Felony Charges in Fatal Crash Following Police Chase
A 15-year-old from Boca Raton is facing charges of vehicular homicide and homicide while engaged in a felony offense after he crashed a stolen Mustang into a Honda Pilot during a police pursuit. Although the teen and his 20-year-old passenger were uninjured, the driver of the Pilot, 46-year-old Wendy Harris,…