Deal With Dirty Developers Could Backfire
BY BUDDY NEVINS
There has been a lot of Internet discussion about the dirty developers Bruce and Shawn Chait getting only four years probation after admitting they passed out bribes all over Broward.
Sometimes prosecutors have to make deals with very slimy people to convict even slimier people:
In 1991, the mobster John Gotti was known in the New York City tabloids as the Teflon Don after repeated attempts to convict him failed.
Along came his right-hand thug with an offer the feds couldn’t refuse –Underboss Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano would testify against Gotti in return for a reduced sentence.
Sammy “The Bull” Testifies
Gotti got life and died in prison.
Sammy The Bull, who admitted 19 murders, got five years!
Sammy didn’t even serve the nickle. He got released early.
He then wrote a best-selling book “Underboss” and was arrested again a few years later for drug dealing.
State Attorney Mike Satz is following an old playbook when he made a deal with the Chaits. It is called dealing up.
Satz wants the scalp of elected officials on his belt.
He is right to make the electeds the target. He’s right to deal with the Chaits to get their testimony.
Satz is wrong to give them such a light sentence.
Four years probation. What a joke.
You face 60 days in jail for some cases of driving with an expired license tag! That’s 60 days more than the Chaits will serve in jail for bribery.
When the Chaits take the stand against those corrupt politicians, guess what the first question from the defense will be?
“Have you received favorable treatment from the prosecution for your testimony?
When the Chaits answer that they got their sentence reduced to four years probation, watch the jurors’ faces.
The Chaits’ light sentence could backfire. Jurors might decide the Chaits are lying in return for the ridiculously light sentence.
I’ve learned one lesson from the Chaits.
If I’m ever charged with a crime, the first call I make is to their defense attorney David Bogenschutz.
Bogenschutz cut the deal for the Chaits. He couldn’t have done a better job.
We’ll soon see if Satz made a good deal, too.
August 28th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Uh… Buddy… Four months? Are we reading the same articles in the news? Mine say four years probation. Still too light for my taste.
FROM BUDDY: Thanks for the comment. I wrote “four years” in the lead sentence and in one other place, and wrote “four months” in a third place. My mistake. Its four years. I correct it.
August 28th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
It has been so long since Satz handled a corruption case he doesn’t know what he is doing. Asst. State Attorney Tim Donnelly also has a hard time finding his way to conviction. We need a real state attorney.
August 29th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Satz is the problem. He is incompetent.
August 29th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
I am flabbergasted that in a liberal Democratic, and yes, Jewish political environment there is so much lying, stealing, and corruption. However I was also flabbergasted to learn Bob Wexler lived for decades in Potomac Maryland FULL TIME, voted from his in-law’s senior condo that he was not legally eligible to live in, yet got re-elected every two years like clock work. I must say one thing, when I was growing up, both here and in New Jersey, you knew every elected official up to your Congressman, and even in my years in New York City until 1995, I knew to at least say hello to everyone up to my Congressman. When I got to Miami Beach and later Ft. Lauderdale I was amazed and how invisible Congressmembers, County Commissioners, the State Atttorneys, all public officials are except at public events where they do NOT mingle with the public. This places more responsibilty on the media, including websites to give us fuller information on our candidates. To be honest, I don’t know what positions Congressman Ron Klein and challengered Col. West have on so many issues, and I have yet to meet either one! And, to be honest, I have never met Mayor Seiler or either my County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs or City Commissioner Romney Rogers. I know more Italian, German, Polish, even French office holders where I visit or vacation, than in my hometown!
August 29th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz, are you waiting for them to knock on your door?
August 31st, 2010 at 2:02 pm
It will always be incumbent upon the feds to clean up Broward.