Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney Blog

September 25, 2015

Ex-Spa Owner Guilty of Prostitution, Money Laundering, Avoids Long Prison Term

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

One might say the outcome of Xiaoqin Li’s criminal case was a “happy ending” of sorts.

On the one hand, the former massage parlor owner did plead guilty to three criminal charges, including two for running a house of prostitution and another for money laundering. For that, she’ll have to serve at least nine months in jail, followed by 10 years of probation, with the first year of that on house arrest with an ankle monitor. She also has to agree to forfeit nearly $200,000 in funds seized from the business.

On the other hand, she avoided a lengthy prison sentence. Had she been convicted at trial of all the charges against her, she faxed a minimum term of four years, or a maximum term of 35 years.

The 52-year-old defendant and her two employees were arrested after a long police investigation sparked by complaints from neighboring businesses that the women were providing more than massages. Specifically, Li and her employees were accused of performing sex acts for money after massages at the business, which catered almost exclusively to male clientele.
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September 18, 2015

Florida Doctor Acquitted of Pill Mill Murder, Guilty of Drug Sale

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

A former pediatric surgeon who was later in retirement worked part-time for a pain clinic in Palm Beach County has been acquitted of murder charges related to the fatal overdose of a 24-year-old patient on Oxycodone. However, the 81-year-old physician was convicted of “selling” (over-prescribing) high quantities of Xanax to a patient – coincidentally a former chef for Donal Trump, no a U.S. Republican presidential candidate – who was undergoing treatment for substance abuse addiction.

The patient did not die, but the charge is still a third-degree felony, for which the doctor could face up to five years in prison. However, there is no minimum mandatory, so it will be up to the jurors and judge to decide the sentencing. The case was connected to a one-time “pill mill empire,” which involved a $40 million operation with clinics in both Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

The two twin brothers who owned the operation – now serving 15- and 20-year prison sentences – testified against the doctor. He faced 11 charges, including second-degree murder, drug conspiracy and drug trafficking.
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September 17, 2015

Boca Raton Mom Arrested for DUI, Leaving Child Alone

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

It was bad when the West Boca Raton woman in Coral Springs crashed her car around midnight. What made it worse was that police ascertained she was drunk at the time.

But worse than that? She had left her 3-year-old child alone at home.

Deputies with the Palm Beach County sheriff’s office arrived at the house, but no one answered and they couldn’t gain entry. Finally, the woman’s husband arrived at the household and unlocked the door. There, they found the girl inside, sleeping on a bed.

The husband was reportedly just coming home from work and was surprised to see a deputy at his door. He had no idea his wife had left their daughter alone at home or that she’d been arrested for a DUI accident.

Now, the woman faces charges of DUI and child neglect.
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September 14, 2015

Felony Stalking Conviction in Florida Requires Credible Threat

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

It was a neighborhood dispute turned ugly. Even the defense attorney for one of those involved would concede his actions were criminal. But he insisted the more than five dozen phone calls, containing “disgusting and vile messages,” were misdemeanor rather than felony offenses.

A Palm Beach County jury agreed.

Now, rather than face up to five years in prison under F.S. 784.048 (3), felony stalking, he was convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to the maximum 60 days in jail – minus credit for three days already served.

The primary difference between felony stalking and misdemeanor stalking is the idea of a “credible threat.” Even the defendant’s attorney called him “jerk” and the content of the calls “disgusting.” But he chalked it up to the man’s “odd sense of humor.”
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September 9, 2015

U.S. v. Martinez – Florida Threat Conviction Overturned

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

The federal conviction of a South Florida woman for violation of 18 U.S.C. 875(c), making threatening communication, has been overturned in light of the June U.S. Supreme Court decision in Elonis v. U.S..

Essentially, what the court said in Elonis was that it is not enough in a criminal case to prove the defendant’s actions were negligent. That is, it’s improper to use the standard of what a reasonable person would do or believe under the same circumstances. Rather, in order to convict a person of this criminal charge, there must be a finding that the wrongdoing must be conscious to the criminal. In essence, “What the defendant think does matter.”

This was an important ruling for the fact that to hold a personal criminally accountable for mere negligence is borderline unconstitutional. This is not to say individuals can’t be criminally charged for negligent acts, but under this particular statute, courts are required to prove subjective intent in order to secure a conviction.
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September 6, 2015

Wright v. Florida – Felony Firearm Conviction Challenged

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

Florida is fairly permissive with regard to firearm purchase and possession, but there is a major exception: Felons. In the state of Florida, it is illegal for those convicted of felonies to possess firearms and/or ammunition.

There are two general exceptions to this. The first is when a convicted felon has his or her civil rights restored AND firearm authority restored through the state Clemency Board. It’s not enough that one receives a general restoration of rights. In order to restore firearm authority, an application has to be filed, and there is a waiting period of at least eight years from the date the sentence expired. The second allowance is when the firearm qualifies as an antique gun per F.S. 790.001(1).

The definitions of “possession” and “antique” were central in the case of Wright v. Florida, in which a man convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition appealed that conviction in Florida’s 4th District Court of Appeal.
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September 2, 2015

Penalties for Florida DUI Manslaughter Widely Vary

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

If you kill someone in a drunk driving accident in Florida, you will serve prison time if convicted. But how much time may come down to a number of factors, which include not just the individual facts of the case, but the disposition of the survivors, the strength of your defense attorney’s case and, interestingly, where the conviction happens.

This is according to a recent Miami Herald article, which analyzed why some DUI manslaughter convictions receive such widely varying sentences.

Per F.S. 316.193, the minimum mandatory sentence available in Florida for DUI manslaughter is four years. That’s the least amount of time a judge can give you. The most is 30 years per charge. The statewide average out of 400 DUI fatality cases in Florida since 2012 was just under 10 years.

But some areas had a reputation of being harsher than others. Broward is one of those.
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August 31, 2015

Tucker v. Florida – Stale Information in a Search Warrant

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

In a criminal investigation, if law enforcement waits too long following the issuance of a search warrant to make an actual search or if they wait to long to act on certain information pertaining to a criminal act, the warrant or information could be deemed “stale.”

That means even if the warrant was valid or the information was sufficient to establish probable cause, a defendant may challenge this evidence if the delay was unreasonable, and therefore no longer supported by probable cause.

Most courts agree that warrants are stale 10 days after they are issued, but there are often subjective factors the court may consider.
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August 25, 2015

Florida DUI Motion to Suppress Blood Test Results Reversed

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

Florida’s 5th District Court of Appeals ruled recently the trial court in Florida v. Kleiber incorrectly applied the strict compliance standard in granting a DUI defendant’s motion to suppress blood test evidence.

DUI blood test evidence is critical in any case wherein a person is alleged to have driven drunk. Where the evidence itself cannot be challenged on its validity or merits, a DUI defense lawyer may seek to suppress the evidence from being considered by the court in the first place.

There are a number of ways to do that, and the strategy is going to be case-specific.

Here, defendant, a 25-year-old firefighter, was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol in 2012 after a collision a year earlier on I-75 near Wildwood. Around 4:30 a.m., defendant allegedly rear-ended a vehicle in front of him on the highway. That other vehicle overturned multiple times and collided with a fence. The other driver, 29, and his 20-year-old passenger were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. The 20-year-old woman later died.
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August 23, 2015

Arrest on Cruise Ship for Battery of a Minor

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

Millions of people flock to Florida and its surrounding waters for an escape from the daily grind. But for some, the “vacation mindset” leads to lowered inhibitions and the assumption that consequences won’t be forthcoming.

However, as one Ohio man learned recently, one doesn’t evade the law simply because a crime occurs on vacation.

The 30-year-old was arrested at a Florida port, shortly after the cruise ship on which he was a passenger docked. Authorities alleged he had battered and threatened a 13-year-old boy who made sexual overtures toward his niece. He was charged with child abuse, assault, battery and false imprisonment of a child.
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