Alu Strikes Again; Threatens To Overturn Untold Number of Cases
BY BUDDY NEVINS
“Hurricane” Sheila Alu is at it again and this time her work threatens to throw the courthouse for a real loop.
Sheila Alu
Assistant State Attorney Alu has delivered to the Public Defenders Office a list of 28 police under investigation by her bosses at the State Attorney’s Office or internal affairs officers of their own departments.
The list could throw into question an untold number of criminal cases, past and present. It could overturn trials.
“This notice is a notice that the State Attorney has evidence that indicates because of conduct of the police, a client could be innocent, Public Defender Howard Finkelstein says.
“This could be very, very big. It raises a number of questions for our clients, Finkelstein says. “We just don’t know the ramifications yet.
The Public Defender’s Office has assigned a team of lawyers to research Alu’s documents. They are scrambling to see whether the cops are involved in cases against their clients.
Finkelstein says in his 32 years as a lawyer, he has never seen a prosecutor reveal so many cops under investigation at once.
“I’ve seen maybe two or three (notices about two or three individual cops) in 32 years, says Finkelstein.
Finkelstein says the document has no explanation of what the officers are being investigated for or even information about when the investigation took place.
He also says he doesn’t know what prompted Alu to deliver the notice to one of his assistant public defenders.
“Maybe she just wants to do what’s right, Finkelstein says. “What I am concerned about is that why haven’t we gotten these notices for the past 32 years?
Some in the courthouse believe Alu is seeking to embarrass her boss, State Attorney Mike Satz. There is talk in political circles she could be a future candidate against Satz.
Alu has been at the center of repeated controversies in the courthouse in less than two years as a prosecutor. I have given her the nickname “Hurricane” Sheila because of the hubbub that surround her.
She made accusations against a judge that resulted in an investigation of the judge by the Judicial Qualifications Committee and the Florida Bar and produced a year’s worth of headlines.
Just last week, she was involved in an another controversy when it was learned she was fund raising for a judge she appeared before as a prosecutor.
September 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
[…] and here are my previous posts on […]
September 17th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
She really is “Loose Cannon” Alu.
September 18th, 2009 at 7:35 am
nice photo, too bad it is about 10 years old. Has anyone seen her recently? scary spice step back