Author: Scott A. Ferris, Esq.

Miami-Dade Clerk’s Office worker charged with stealing 53 checks worth more than $30k

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If prosecutors are to be believed, David Santana isn’t the smartest of thieves. His work at the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s Office as a court records specialist gave him easy access to checks that residents sent in to pay for public records, like marriage licenses or mortgages, which were to be recorded. So, according to investigators, when no one was looking, Santana, 24, stole more than four dozen of them. Then he signed a name on... [...]

Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office recuses itself from Jeffrey Epstein case

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Just days before a Friday deadline, the Justice Department has reassigned the Jeffrey Epstein victims’ rights case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, the attorneys representing Epstein’s victims said Tuesday. Miami federal prosecutors, in a letter to attorneys for the victims on Monday, said they had recused themselves from the case, according to Bradley Edwards and Jack Scarola, representing Epstein’s victims. The... [...]

She crashed into a Miami police officer’s car in stolen SUV, cops say. Then she took off.

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After slamming a stolen SUV into a Miami police car in Coral Gables early Monday morning, police say Amalia Gonzalez took off running. Gonzalez, 29, who has a history of traffic violations, was later found at Ponce De Leon Boulevard and Ruiz Avenue. She was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, being a habitual traffic offender, leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and careless driving.  According to... [...]

His gang ripped off senior citizens for $2 million. This Parkland man just got prison time

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A Parkland criminal became the last of his gang to be sentenced for a multistate fraud scheme that hit senior citizens for $2 million. Thomas White, 60, got 14 years in federal prison on Wednesday after his December conviction on three counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He’s also ordered to pay restitution of $1,936,400. “As a result of the fraudulent scheme,... [...]

Firm behind Miami bridge that collapsed announces bankruptcy

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MIAMI (AP) -- The contractor that built a pedestrian bridge that collapsed and killed six people last year in Miami is filing for bankruptcy protection. Miami-based Munilla Construction Management said in a press release on Saturday the Chapter 11 filing was not an attempt to escape responsibility that might arise for the March 15 collapse. It said the company plans to resolve the claims as part of the debt restructuring... [...]