Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney Blog

November 10, 2015

Florida DUI Manslaughter, Hit-Run Cases Result in Disparate Sentences

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

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 as “DJ AOL.” His blood-alcohol level was allegedly nearly twice the legal limit as he was driving home from a friend’s wedding. Though he conceded on the stand he was at-fault for the crash, he insisted he wasn’t drunk. Rather, he had fallen asleep.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18, and he faces up to 30 years in prison. The question of what he’ll actually get is tough to say, given how disparate sentences can be in cases that alleged DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and hit-and-run.

This fact was highlighted several months ago in an in-depth analysis by the Miami Herald, which found that while the average DUI manslaughter sentence in Florida was 9.5 years, punishments varied greatly depending on jurisdiction. For example:
–Palm Beach County – Average 11.54 years average
–Hillsborough County – 10.18 years average
–Miami-Dade – 6.09 years average

November 7, 2015

Juvenile Facing Felony Charges in Fatal Crash Following Police Chase

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

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, was killed.

At this time, we’re not naming the teen because he hasn’t (yet) been charged as an adult. However, considering the circumstances of this situation, we recognize it’s highly probable prosecutors will do so.F.S. 985.557 is the “direct file” statute, which spells out situations in which prosecutors have discretion in “direct filing” a juvenile offender as an adult – to face (mostly) adult penalties, and when such action is mandatory.

The statute says that when any child who is 14 or 15 at the time of the alleged offense, prosecutors can seek adult sanctions when the person is arrested for a number of serious and violent felonies, including robbery, sexual assault, arson, aggravated child abuse, aggravated stalking, grand theft, robbery, kidnapping, carjacking or grand theft of a vehicle (when juvenile has a prior adjudication for the same or similar offense). Prosecutors may be required to “Mandatory Direct File” when the child is 16 or 17 at the time of allegedly committing a forcible felony or when any felony offense is committed and the teen has a previous adjudication for a violent felony.

November 3, 2015

Employee Theft in Fort Lauderdale Alleged by YOLO Restaurant

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

YOLO is a popular Fort Lauderdale restaurant named after the mantra that, “You Only Live Once.” But a former bookkeeper at the downtown hot spot may have taken those words too closely to heart.

According to a report by The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 52-year-old Joanne Purstell of Oakland Park has been arrested on grand theft charges after management accused her of stealing nearly $350,000 of the restaurant’s money.

Purstell, who reportedly has no prior criminal record, was in charge of managing tip shares, balancing cash receipts and making deposits of cash and credit card payments for the East Las Olas Boulevard restaurant. But Fort Lauderdale police investigators assert that between 2012 to 2015, Purstell failed to deposit nearly $350,000 into restaurant bank accounts.

October 29, 2015

Theft Charges for Broward Bailiff Following Wife’s Conviction

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

A bailiff for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office was taken into custody by his own agency after prosecutors say the 33-year-old civilian employee freely spent money he knew was stolen by his now ex-wife.

His former wife, who worked at a perfume store in Pembroke Pines as a clerk,was convicted of grand theft charges after authorities accused her of writing 119 checks totaling more than $405,000. She would later tell authorities her husband became aware of the thefts after the third or fourth transaction. She co-mingled the checks with their paychecks in their joint personal and business account.She said her husband told her simply to “Be careful.”

Last month, she was sentenced to five years in prison. And just a few days ago, she and her husband finalized their divorce.

But it’s not over for Steve Palacios, who allegedly spent the money on:
–Furniture
–A Cadillac
–Rent
–Restaurant visits
–Personal grooming
–Tires and rims for his truck ($6,000 total)
–Truck loan ($5,900)
–Lifetime fishing license ($1,000)
–Medical bills for a parent – ($4,000)
–Three guns ($1,310)
–Business expenses ($14,000)
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October 23, 2015

Prostitution Arrest for Margate Massage Worker

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

A 52-year-old massage parlor employee in Margate was arrested following an undercover investigation by local police.

Authorities say Jinping Yang, was routinely offering to masturbate male massage customers (known as a “happy ending”), and additionally was working as a masseuse without a license.

Yang allegedly charged $45 for a half-hour massage for an undercover detective, who was equipped with an audio listening and recording device. After 20 minutes of massage, she allegedly ordered detective on his back, she told him she could massage his chest, but then motioned to his groin area. Detective agreed, and then gave a verbal alert to officers on standby to take action. Defendant was arrested for lewd lascivious actions and working without a masseuse license.
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October 19, 2015

Former Florida Middle School Principal Not Guilty of DUI

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

A former principal of a middle school in Hollywood has avoided a DUI conviction when a jury deemed there was not enough evidence in to substantiate the state’s charges of drunk driving and cocaine possession.

Forty-seven-year-old Steven Williams, who used to be employed by Driftwood Middle School, was arrested in February by deputies with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office as he was driving home from a wedding with two relatives. The stop happened at a Dania Beach marina, and deputies said Williams failed the sobriety tests, smelled like alcohol and dropped a small bag of white powder allegedly fell from his pocket. The substance later turned out to be cocaine.

Deputies had been called to a nearby marina, where authorities said one of Williams’ passengers had been involved in a fight with a security guard. Williams reportedly coaxed the passenger back into the vehicle and was trying to leave the marina when deputies arrived. The man who called 911 told the dispatcher authorities needed to stop the car because the driver was drunk and one of the passengers “attacked one of my guys.”
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October 16, 2015

“Second Crown” of Latin Kings Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering

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

Lazaro Castellon, or “King Speedy” as he is known within the Latin Kings “tribe” was sworn as the “Second Crown” of the South Miami sect of the gang about six months prior to his arrest earlier this year.

He is now the fourth of two dozen Latin Kings gang members arrested following an undercover sting operation to work out a plea deal. Originally charged with racketeering conspiracy, robbery and possession of a firearm during a violent crime, he is pleading guilty solely to the racketeering charge. The exact terms of the deal won’t be released until the court gives final approval, but he still faces up to 20 years in prison. Nineteen other suspects are slated for trial on similar charges later this year.

Authorities say the sting put a major dent in gang activities throughout Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties. Anytime a person is charged with a gang-related crime in Florida, the offense is serious. That’s because gang involvement is considered an aggravating factor under Florida law, and these offenses can and often do carry enhanced penalties.
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October 13, 2015

Pembroke Pines Man Accused of Online Child Solicitation

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

A 45-year-old man from Pembroke Pines is accused of attempting to solicit a 15-year-old boy for sex.

However, as Kevin Jackson would later learn, the “boy” was in fact an undercover detective posing as a youth. Now, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Jackson was being held on $250,000 bond.

Adding to the severity of the allegations is the fact Jackson allegedly has a very dangerous communicable disease with which he was diagnosed in 2000. He was still receiving treatment for it at the time of his arrest. Although the report does not specify which disease it was, Jackson – who reportedly admitted his guilt to detectives – said it was his intention to inform the minor of his condition prior to engaging in a sex act.
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October 9, 2015

Attempted Murder Charge for Florida Stabbing Suspect

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

A Florida woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing her husband seven times in their West Palm Beach home.

West Palm Beach police reported 39-year-old Christina Balazi was arrested after her husband of 10 years was transported to a local hospital with knife wounds, which were not believed to be life-threatening. The alleged victim reportedly told investigators while at the hospital that his wife suffers from bipolar disorder, and that the stabbing occurred while the pair were being intimate in their home.

Our South Florida criminal defense attorneys understand that as funding for mental health services has been slashed drastically in recent years, what used to be treated at localized treatment centers has now been shifted to emergency rooms, the Department of Children and Families and the criminal justice system. In the event there are allegations or evidence of violence, persons who suffer from mental health issues don’t end up receiving care that could address the underlying issues – they end up in jail.
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October 5, 2015

Man Faces Homicide Charges in Double Fatal Crash

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

Admerson Cleber Eugenio Vicente was not supposed to be behind the wheel of a car. In fact, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the 24-year-old man from Jupiter was legally barred from doing so until 2020 because authorities had slapped a “habitual traffic offender” label on his record.

And yet, he was behind the wheel, according to troopers with the Florida State Patrol. Investigators say he was driving a vehicle the wrong direction down I-95. In so doing, he collided with another vehicle, in which two sisters – a 23-year-old violinist and a 24-year-old Air Force staff sergeant – were on their mother’s home in Pompano Beach, following a trip to Disney World.

They never made it. The two died almost instantly in the violent, fiery crash. By the time first responders got to the scene, it was too late to save them.

As for Vicente, he is now in serious trouble. At this point, it’s early in the investigation. No criminal charges have been filed. But assuming he survives, he almost certainly will face charges, and it’s likely he could find himself in prison for decades.
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