Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney Blog

February 13, 2016

3 Years Federal Prison for Wire Fraud Suspect in Online Auto Sales Scheme

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

The man said he was roped into an international fraud after striking up a conversation with a group in a Romanian night club. That was back in 2007. The plan didn’t involve physically hurting anyone, simply separating them from their money.

The following year, he was on a flight to Los Angeles, where he was taught how to open phony bank accounts. He was able to return to Romania. From there, federal prosecutors say, he would trick unsuspecting buyers on websites like AutoTrader.com and Craigslist into putting a down payment on a vehicle. Problem was, he didn’t own any vehicles and he never delivered once the cash was transferred. Authorities say there was never any intention on Mihai Postelnicu’s part to engage in a legitimate vehicle purchase transaction.

He returned to the U.S. in 2010 and began working out of Broward County, where he set up two bank accounts into which victims sent electronic transfers of cash. Posing as a Czech or Swedish citizen, he used fake identification cards and aliases to withdraw the money. The emailed transactions made it appear as if they were from legitimate services, like Google Wallet.

Now, The Sun Sentinel reports, the 37-year-old Postelnicu has been sentenced to 2 years, 9 months in a U.S. federal prison. Once he serves his sentence, he’ll be deported back to Romania. Continue reading

February 9, 2016

Bail Set for “Peeping Tom” Suspect in Pembroke Pines

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Prosecutors say Pelayo Alexander Cerulia grew increasingly brazen with his exploits over the course of two years. He allegedly started by peering into the homes of unsuspecting women. Then he started doing so while touching himself. Then, he began shattering their windows with marbles fired from a slingshot. Then, in the most serious incident, he is accused of trying to break into a woman’s home this past July, demanding that she show her breasts and bragging he would never be caught.

The Sun-Sentinel reports Cerulia was terrorizing the same five women (and possibly others) over the course of 24 months. The women tearfully spoke publicly about these repeated encounters and Cerulia turned himself into police two days later, on New Year’s Eve.

Initially, prosecutors argued the judge should set no bond in the case, arguing the 43-year-old defendant was a danger to the community. But defense argued there was a significant flaw in the eyewitness account provided by the woman who alleged attempted burglary: She described a man who was “Irish-looking” with “reddish complexion” who was a “pasty white guy.” His client’s skin is tan and his hair is dark and graying near his temples. He also has thick black eyebrows. Continue reading

February 6, 2016

Drunk Driving Arrest in Boynton Beach for Man Who Hit 7 Cars at Intersection

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

After reportedly plowing into seven vehicles at a Boynton Beach intersection, the driver of a pickup reportedly failed a number of field sobriety tests. He was arrested by police for DUI and driving on a suspended license.

James Dean Martin, a 47-year-old from Delray Beach, was hauled out of his pickup truck by several people at the scene shortly before 4 p.m. on a Saturday and held on the ground until police got there, according to The Sun-Sentinel.

An 18-year-old woman who had recently purchased a new car told a reporter he approached a line of vehicles waiting at the intersection traveling, “probably like, 50, 70 mph and he just bumped each car.” No one was injured, but the teen said she was shaken up because there were children in other vehicles and her brand new vehicle was damaged. Continue reading

February 1, 2016

Broward Marijuana Citation Program to Launch

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Broward County leaders are pressing ahead with lesser penalties for marijuana possession, plunking down $175,000 to launch a civil citation program and hire a coordinator who will steer it.

Previously, arrests for marijuana possession in Fort Lauderdale resulted in a misdemeanor charge, punishable by up to one year in prison. Now, anyone caught with less than 20 grams of the drug (or its derivatives, such as hashish) may instead receive a civil citation. Twenty grams is about 3/4 of an ounce. The fine schedule is $100 for the first ticket and $250 for the second and $500 for the third.

A person who receives a citation would have the option to instead opt to do community service, successfully complete a drug treatment program or appeal, as opposed to paying the fine. Continue reading

January 29, 2016

New Broward Mental Health Diversion Off to Start, But a Slow One

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Following a scathing report criticizing treatment of mentally ill defendants who languish sometimes for years in the criminal justice system (and six times longer than a person with comparable charges in regular court , the Broward State Attorneys Office devised a partial solution: A mental health diversion program that would get people out of the criminal justice system.

The idea, modeled after a program launched in Miami-Dade in 2008, focuses on treatment – rather than incarceration – for those who are mentally ill. Non-violent offenders without lengthy rap sheets who have been diagnosed with a severe mental illness would be vetted by the state attorneys office. Those accepted would receive housing support, therapy, medication management and other assistance. Those who successfully complete the program (in six months to a year) would be allowed to have the criminal charges dropped.

It’s a start, critics say, but so far, the program has accepted just one applicant. What’s more, even when it reaches capacity at 60 defendants, that’s not going to make much of a dent when there are an estimated 1,200 cases overflowing in felony mental health court. Plus, there is no guarantee of assistance to those who are already enmeshed in the system, charged with minor felonies. Continue reading

January 26, 2016

Florida Man Acquitted of Stalking to Face Additional Charges

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

A man from Boca Raton who was acquitted last fall of felony stalking charges involving a neighbor is now facing additional stalking charges involving a former business partner.

Ahmad Dastjerdi, 55,was found not guilty of third-degree felony stalking in September after leaving about five dozen profanity-laced voicemail messages on his neighbor’s phone. Although the target of those messages stated they made him fear for his safety and that of his family, jurors ascertained after three days of testimony that it amounted only to misdemeanor harassment. He was given the maximum sentence allowable under state law for that charge – 60 days in jail – but he evaded a possible five-year prison sentence with his acquittal on the more serious felony charge.

Now, Dasterjedi is facing similar charges. He is accused of one count of feony aggravated stalking. He was arrested and jailed, but the judge set his bail at $5,000, provided he remains on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor while he awaits trial. He’ll be allowed to leave his residence for work. He also is not allowed to have access to any weapons and he can’t have any contact with the alleged victim, his former business partner. Continue reading

January 21, 2016

Men Face Federal Charges for Brazen Jewelry Store Robbery

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

As far as robberies go, this one was about as daring as you can get.

According to authorities, four men burst into the jewelry store located in The Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale, armed with hammers, their faces covered with masks.

Inside, stunned store owners and customers scrambled for cover under various items of furniture as the men used the hammers to smash the glass cases. Authorities said in all, they snatched nearly 50 high-end watches, most of those Tag Heuer and Rolex, with a combined value of $250,000. Continue reading

January 16, 2016

Dippolito Murder-for-Hire Police Informant: She Was Set Up

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

The case is packed with so many odd twists and turns, it sounds like some kind of made-for-television movie. And strangely, that’s what the defendant says she was trying to do: Act the part of the villain so she could score a reality television show. The alleged victim was even in on it, she said.

But the Boynton Beach police who arrested her for allegedly paying a hit man to kill her now-ex husband say the plan was real. Meanwhile, the police were filming a “COPS” episode of the whole investigation, and even staged a fake murder scene as part of the case.

Dalia Dippolito was charged and later convicted of solicitation to commit first-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Then the conviction was overturned two years ago based on improper jury selection. Now, Dippolito’s defense lawyers are arguing the charges should be dropped, presenting testimony from her one-time friend-turned-police-informant Mohamed Shihadeh says he was pressured by police to set up Dippolito. Continue reading

January 13, 2016

Vehicular Homicide Charges in Fort Lauderdale 4-Year-Old’s Death

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Most people think speeding is one of those things that is “no big deal.” People do it all the time, and often with little consequence. But consider this case recently reported by the Sun-Sentinel:

A man has been charged with vehicular homicide in Fort Lauderdale after a high-speed crash resulted in the death of a 4-year-old boy almost two years ago in Sunrise.

The now-21-year-old defendant had been driving at least 70 mph in a black BMW. Investigators would later opine he was driving somewhere in the neighborhood of 83 mph. The speed limit on that stretch of North Pine Island Road is 45 mph. There was a yellow car in front of him. A vehicle ahead of that yellow car made a wide turn into the parking lot of a shopping plaza. The yellow car hit the brakes. The BMW driver, Andrew Ezequiel Perez, couldn’t slow down in time. He lost control.
Continue reading

January 11, 2016

Feds: South Florida Men Rented Out Homes They Didn’t Own

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Three men in South Florida are facing federal fraud charges after authorities allege the men took over control of about 80 houses in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, swapped the locks and then rented these units to tenants who had no idea the “landlords” weren’t the rightful owners.

The four men, all from Palm Beach County, are facing charges that include mail fraud conspiracy and mail fraud. Bond is being withheld until a judge determines whether they should stay locked up while the case is pending.

Authorities say this brazen scheme specifically targeted homes that were owned by a Georgia-based company in the business of buying and renovating homes and then renting them out. Continue reading