Commissioner Stacy Ritter Cleared Of Corruption
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter has waited roughly five years for the memo she received today.
The State Attorney’s Office memo states that prosecutors, after an extensive, three-prong corruption probe, found “insufficient evidence” to prove Ritter violated the law.
She has been cleared of wrongdoing involving two commission votes almost a decade ago and her 2008 re-election finances.
Stacy Ritter: Cleared
Prosecutors launched the investigation amid a blizzard of Internet allegations. Everything written by the Main Street media and others was not provable criminal conduct, prosecutors now say.
Finally dropping the probe of Ritter is the last act of a tragic string of failed prosecutions prompted by the testimony of Bruce and Shawn Chait, two admittedly bent developers who bragged they had bribed half of West Broward government. Unfortunately for State Attorney Mike Satz and his team of prosecutors, jurors did not believe a word the Chaits said.
Tamarac Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talbisco. Not guilty.
Tamarac Commissioner Patricia Atkins-Grad. Not guilty.
Tamarac Commissioner Marc Sultanoff. He was charged while suffering from terminal cancer and died before trial.
School Board member Stephanie Kraft. Not guilty on bribery charges and guilty on a minor charge with adjudication withheld.
County Commissioner Josephus Eggeletion. Pleaded guilty to taking Chait money in an agreement with prosecutors and never faced a jury. As part of the agreement, he served time for the state charge concurrently in a federal prison on unrelated federal charges.
County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman. Investigated and never charged.
Prosecutors probed Ritter’s conduct in three matters:
* Her vote on an insurance contract while her husband had a relationship with an associated company.
* Her receiving a golf cart from the corrupt developers Bruce and Shawn Chait.
* Her mistakes, running to thousands of dollars, in the reporting of finances for her 2008 re-election.
She was cleared in everything.
What is sad is that Ritter had to spend tens of thousands of dollars to defend herself, money she will never recover. It is also sad is that she waited years after the investigation closed to get a so-called “close out memo” from the State Attorney’s Office clearing her.
It leads one to the question of whether prosecutors should reimburse defendants for failed investigations.
Check out the close out letter below, released today….nine years after some of the incidents described and roughly five years after the investigation ended.
July 2nd, 2015 at 10:11 pm
Slippery Stacy beats the rap again!!
To Ritter and her lobbyist husband, tens of thousands of dollars is just chump change. Her husband has probably burned more money than that while lighting his cigars.
Satz fails yet again. What a surprise!!!
July 2nd, 2015 at 10:29 pm
It is certainly about time. Ritter worked hard for her district even while fighting to clear her name and restore her reputation which has finally been accomplished. This protracted investigation may have cost her more than just money.
Now she can expand her horizons.
July 3rd, 2015 at 7:03 am
Satz is just afraid to prosecute. Cleared does not mean not guilty. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind she is guilty. But Broward voters are stupid enough to re-elect her to something.
FROM BUDDY:
The close out memo details in great detail why the State Attorney’s Office didn’t prosecute the case. Bottom line: They could not prove she broke any law.
July 3rd, 2015 at 9:07 am
Your obsession with Lieberman is impairing your credibility. People get investigated when the State Attorney gets a complaint, even an anonymous one. If the state attorney found anything when they investigated Lieberman, they would they would have charged her as your laundry list above shows. Just cause you don’t like her, doesn’t make her guilty of a crime. Get over it.
July 3rd, 2015 at 10:00 am
The Anglo-Saxon Legal System that has served us well for centuries is based on Innocent until proven guilty. There is also the saying, Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. Of course an elected official with a lobbyist husband gives me the creeps, but it is NOT ILLEGAL and apparently NOT UNETHICAL. What is a SCANDAL is taking five years OR MORE to clear up a case! That is the SCANDAL! I don’t know Commissioner Ritter and but WHAT IS RIGHT IS FOR JUSTICE TO TAKE ITS SPEEDY COURSE,a nd YES, MR. NEVINS, investigations SHOULD NOT GO ON IF THERE IS NO CHANCE OF PROVING A CASE. This issue is YEARS TOO LONG A PROCESS!
July 3rd, 2015 at 10:13 am
Queue Bob Norman’s apology in
three…
two…
one…
Ha! I jest.
That turd lacks any ability to be remorseful for his jaded, slanted, one-sided reporting.
Why, an apology would require him to change his narrative, that’s not likely ever to happen.
But, live by the sword, die by the sword … his time will come say day.
And it will be fucking glorious.
July 3rd, 2015 at 10:28 am
First of all the Ethics comm,. fining Comm.ritter over 8g didn’t help her case one bit. As far as SAO Mike Satz not wanting to charge her, to looking th e other way etc. When I was at the SAO I saw floor to ceiling boxes w/ her name on there, along w/ a few others. There wasn’t enough for a charge to stick. Satz wa s damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t. He realizes that these cases are hard to win esp. w/ Ritter being a seasoned politician and lawyer to boot. I think the Chaits as primary witness(snitches) would and did make horrible witness. Juries won’t believe them(proven). As far as the ins. w/ her lobbyist husband ye s it was shady, unlawful, well it s was a 50/50 shot. You can’t win cases w/ speculation, insinuations etc. I do believe ritter’ husband caused her this stress. I spoke to Stacey(I sand-bag no one). I told her I saw the boxes. She knew about them. She also stated the State Att.off. had nothing on her. I was more concerned about th e baby grand piano, which by th e way wasn’t even referenced. As far as the golf cart that was just silly. Lesson here be careful from that Dias guys everyone and I mean everyone is watchin you. I hope Comm.ritter learn s from this experience and moves on. It would be great to get a comment Stacey here on Buddy’ blog to hear from you directly…..
July 3rd, 2015 at 10:37 am
I’m glad this is over for her but there’s no getting around it. She got sloppy in her decision making. She came too close to the line more than once. And she knew it.
July 3rd, 2015 at 11:01 am
buddy as to your idea that the prosecutor should pay for failed investigations take a brief look at the salaries in that office where they haven’t had a state mandated raise in years. most of them earn less and I mean much less than the 6 year veteran police officers who make their cases. most owe tremendous loans and the average salary is deplorable. where would the money come from to pay for failed or faulty investigations. its public record check out the pay and prepare to be amazed…..
FROM BUDDY:
I apparently used inarticulate language. I meant the prosecutor’s office (The State Attorney’s Office) and I just raised the question. I believe there are significant downsides to the proposal.
July 3rd, 2015 at 1:28 pm
The SA has trouble proving so few people broke laws, because you have such a law-abiding power structure in Broward.
SA should know…his campaign manager also acts/has acted on behalf of most of the electeds in the county.
What could be wrong with that?
July 3rd, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Charlotte Greenbarg: seldom right, and wrong once again. First, Satz’s campaign manager is not, nor has it been for a while, Barbara Miller. Second, to make a statement like “on behalf of most of the electors…” demonstrates nothing more than how out of touch you are with Broward politics.
Barbara Miller is a highly ethical, dedicated and hard working professional who has never acted with anything but the best interest of her candidates and the residents of Broward and Florida. What you have never understood is that she also does it often for very little compensation, even costing herself tremendous time and money. Just because you don’t like some is the candidates she has worked with does not make her or Mr. Satz corrupt!
July 3rd, 2015 at 8:20 pm
You want sure electric chair convictions coming out of #76 Mike Satz’s office keep arresting persons of color and homeless.
Total impotence on prosecution and convictions of political hacks and LEO’s.
July 4th, 2015 at 8:30 pm
Broward County is going to pick up the legal tab for this one.
July 6th, 2015 at 11:50 am
Ritter and her husband are shameful.
Their incestuous relationship with lobbyists and behind the scenes deals are disgusting. Unlike the previous blogger, I am not concerned over Nevins’ obsession with Lieberman, I am more concerned with his misguided friendship with Ritter and her husband.
She needs to be voted out of this County.
July 10th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Riotter and her husband Kleent are like two winoes. They are always wine drunk and I’ve saw Klenet actually pick up a bottle of wine and drink from it in Runyon’s last night. Two bums.
FROM BUDDY:
Stacy Ritter and her husband Russ Klenet are on vacation more than 1,000 miles away. They weren’t in Runyon’s. You saw body doubles. In addition, I’ve known Klenet for over two decades…maybe closer to three…and I have never seen him drink wine from a bottle. This is clearly the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard.
July 10th, 2015 at 3:55 pm
Will someone explain to me why someone (two winoes says) blogs a COMPLETE LIE according to Mr. Nevins? I saw this for two decades on Miami Beach, people simply going to reporters and lying (one of the characters died and they found him decomposing, the other is in an assisted living home on welfare, so there is Justice in the end). What mental illness or depraved desire to hurt others makes people open their mouths or type out lies – THAT ARE EASILY DISPROVED! We really need MORE MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS in Broward County!