Notice that we have not seen or heard ONE PEEP from Dave Boden (Point-Person for the deals) — or for that matter ANY of the other “partners” or “shareholders” who – for being so “in the dark” are strangely all present and accounted for (along with the WIVES) in the videos-youtube & pictures taken at all of the Rothstein-RAA sponsored social soirees and parties at BOVA, BOVA Prime, CASA C… seeing is believing

FROM BUDDY: Rothstein has a lawyer.
I have no idea if Adler and Rosenfeldt have lawyers.
If Rosenfeldt has a lawyer, I would get a new one. Rosenfeldt was a 50-50 partner with Rothstein at the RRA firm. What lawyer would let his client continuously go on TV and make all kind of statements that could come back to haunt him?
I’m not a lawyer, but I know this much: The best policy when you are involved in litigation and a federal investigation is to keep your mouth shut and let your lawyer talk!

So no comment on the school board attorney’s office and their clear inaction? Perhaps there will be some chatter and outrage when Stephanie goes down. I wonder if local bloggers will do the moonwalk of plausible deniability away from Kraft when that happens. I am sure that Gallagher was just a glitch though.

Clickity Clack Clickity Clack Clickity Clack.

FROM BUDDY: I’ll make a comment.
I have written this before and will repeat it. Ed Marko should retire. He is part of the problem. I recently attended a meeting of the audit committee, which had discovered a firm owed the school system money for failing to perform work. Marko’s response was to let it go because it was too much trouble to collect the money.

As to their obligation for someone who participated in promoting the investment plan under the criminal law to question (if they didnt have actual knowledge), this will be debated. Remember, Rothstein was scamming everyone. From a civil perspective, if all the money is not recovered, those who participated in the investment promotion may have liability.

But, Miss Marple, you are casting a wide “guilt by association” net that is not fair. Sure, there may be those who actually were aware of the investment scheme (perhaps not that Rothstein was taking the money). But, remember, part of the scam (based on what has been reported) was making it seem like this had to all be kept secret and that so few people would think of disclosing the predicate facts (otherwise the whole investment plan would failif it was public). But, there are likely many many lawyers who knew NOTHING more than he has a lavish lifestyle. I would not think that rank and file would ask any questions — I would think someone like Charlie Crist and his handlers would have liked to know where he got all his money. I mean, they embraced him. They had more time with Rothstein than the rank and file.

And, Rothstein had a well-publicized persona of trying to crush anyone who casted aspersions on him — so, good luck with idle chatter or loose accusations or even questioning him (if you could even get a meeting with him). Simply put, you are absolutely WRONG to suggest that EVERY lawyer in the firm had an obligation to question him about his private activities.

The one thing is true — we now recognize based on what is reported if anyone thought his lavish lifestyle was fueled by only the RRA billings, then they were really disoriented at the least. But, I think Rothstein was pretty clear about trying to say he was this wealthy from other things he was doing.

To all those who say all 70 lawyers have responsibility, that is just legally and factually incorrect at this stage. Over time, the system (and great reporting

You are dead on. The Bar has already opened an investigation file on the whole matter (and presumably the whole firm). These “top lawyers” were incompetent (as confirmed to by insider Roger Stone. The Firm was formed as a Florida professional corporation (“P.A”) but operated an an association of lawyers under the control of a dictator. They even held out to the public 1/2 of their lawyers as “shareholders” and the other 1/2 as “partners” according to Martindale Hubble and their own web site. That is what each lawyer’s business card said. This was either clearly a fraudulent public representation or makes each such lawyer as liable as Scotty. This is law firm ethics 101 and agency law 101–it was intentionally violated so as to cover up any suspicions that a client might have that Rothstein was the bizzare out-of-control secretive dictator that he was. No reputable client would hire a law firm run by a dictator hiding all finances from the lawyer the client hires and to whom he entrusts money. Each lawyer in the firm who allowed the firm to call him or her a “shareholder” or “partner” violated the corporation statute if in fact the stock was only issued to Rothstein and Rosenfeldt. Rule 4-8.6 (d) of the Bar Rules clearly specifies that violation of the business entity statutes “shall” be a bar violation. I suspect that on fact stock was never even issued to Rothstein and Rosenfeldt. If you check Sunbiz, you will fund that Rosenfeldt incorporated the PA in February 2002 and Scotty was listed as vice-president and Rosenfeldt as president. the corporation even got dissolved for failure to file an annual report in 2004. This shows sloppiness consistent with not ever following proper corporate procedures.

Also, each lawyer in the firm has trust account violations. Lawyers are required to certify to the Florida Bar each year that they are familiar with the law firm’s trust account procedures and that they comply with the strict accounting of the Rules. Obviously that was not done, and could not honestly be done.

Any lawyer who was held out as a partner or shareholder and who had knowledge of Scotty’s peddling of structured settlements for cash for him and the firm will, and should, get indicted, regardless of whether they knew of Scotty’s thievery. It’s securities fraud. The other lower level “partners”
and “shareholders” will avoid indictment only by coughing up evidence on those up the ladder and/or agreeing to restitution whereby they forfeit their last three years earnings from the firm a/k/a RICO enterprise. That is what has consistently happened in other law firm frauds.

Add to this the obvious violations of the election laws. Are we suppose to really believe that the partners contributions (such as Adler’s $200k) were not reimbursed by Scotty from his trust account dipping?

The IRS is going to have a field day imputing income and recharacterizing RRA’s spending as excessive and thus income.
The so-called” investors obviously were lulled with promises of no 1099′s because of the “confidential
settlements.” This will be shown to be a tax avoidance scheme.

It’s sad that the partners recruited by Scotty could be such gullible pigeons. But, yes they DID
know better.

Once again, fort Lauderdale gets branded nationally as “the fraud capital of the United States.” Once again, lawyers all get branded as crooks.
Message to the US Attorney: use all
you have with all deliberate speed to send a HUGE message.

“Scottygate” is here for a long time!

FYI – I was Ken Jenne yesterday. He looks like a thug. He has long hair – a pony tail. Unreal.

FROM BUDDY: I wrote they were “touted” as the best lawyers. I never said they were the best lawyers. I have no comment on the above mentioned names.

I wonder why Ed Marko has not been reported for professional misconduct? One could argue that his subordinates are perpetuating the same “See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil” approach to justifying their lack of ethics.

To some it is only speculation, but wouldn’t the Beverly Gallagher scandal (allegedly fixing the vote of the committee) steering contracts to favored contractors, raise some suspicion about how this could happen under the noses of Marko and his cronies…I mean legal team?

The schematic has been exposed in this town and it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…the School Board is a microcosm of the scheme used by RRA and many others in the county. It will all be exposed before this is over. And it will take years.