Two years ago this month, North Miami Beach EX-mayor Myron Rosner was running for re-election, desperately hoping to keep his seat on the dais. This year, he’s running scared, desperately hoping to keep out of jail.
On April 12, 2011, I published my blog Priceless!, in which I busted him for committing campaign finance fraud by not claiming the cost of those freaking bus bench ads. Within two hours of my column going up, those benches started going down. It took another year and five months for the law to catch up with Myron, but on September 19, 2012 he was finally arrested.
The long awaited trial of the Dishonorable Myron Joel Rosner is scheduled to start on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. before the Honorable Nushin G. Sayfie. Judge Sayfie, a 2007 Charlie Crist appointee, who ran unopposed for re-election in 2010, has ties to Broward County, according to a Sun Sentinel article dated October 9, 2007. We can only hope that this judge has no ties to Myron’s wife, CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE SARAH ZABEL.
Word on the Circuit Court circuit, is that no Miami-Dade County judge wants anything to do with this case because of the Zabel connection. That’s exactly the connection that Myron and his legal eagle Benedict Keuhne are most likely counting on to save Myron’s ass, in the hopes that no one on the bench in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit will be willing to throw the book at one of their own. The State Attorney representing the People (that’s you and me, folks) had better have all her ducks in a row on this one. Considering that political animal Katherine Fernandez Rundle has a long record of refusing to prosecute her fellow political animals, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the State Attorney’s Office throws the game.
What are the odds that Justice will be served? I’m guessing not very high.
Another case that’s been pending for over two years is the one against the nephew of North Miami mayor Andre Pierre. Actually, make that two cases. Ricardo Brutus is facing charges of six felonies in two separate cases. The first one, Case Number 13-2011-CF-007960-0001-XX filed on March 28, 2011 is for one felony of unlawful compensation, and the second one, Case Number 13-2012-CF-011724-0001-XX filed on May 11, 2011 is for five felonies, including two for practicing law without a license, two for grand theft third degree, and one for organized fraud under $20,000.00. I smell RICO.
Circuit Court Judge Fleur J. Lobree will adjudicate these cases. She was originally appointed by Governor Rick Scott as a County Court Judge, lost her November, 2012 election to Michelle Alvarez Barakat, and then was appointed by Scott to the Circuit Court the very next month on December 14, 2012. According to the Governor, “Judge Lobree has already proven herself as a smart, capable, and fair judge, who understands the proper role of the judiciary. She will be a credit to the circuit bench.”
Let’s hope.
Since we already know that Katherine Fernandez Rundle is loathe to prosecute good old Andre for all of the crimes and misdemeanors he’s allegedly committed since taking office, we already know the chances of Andre’s nephew getting convicted is probably slim to none. Although she’s hinted that this will be her last term in office, never count her out of the race. Going against the infamous Circle of Corruption here in northeast Miami-Dade County, of which Andre is the unofficial but undisputed ringleader, might cost La Princessa her next run. Trust me, she’s not gonna take that chance.
Ricardo’s trial has been continued, continued and then continued again. A new trial date has been set for July 8, 2013, but I wouldn’t hold my breath that it won’t be continued yet again.
My guess is that backroom deals in both Myron’s and Ricardo’s cases are being made as we speak. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if evidence will “go missing,” witnesses will recant, and/or the prosecution just gets totally bungled.
Regardless of the outcome of the Circuit Court cases, in the Court of Public Opinion there is no doubt that Myron Rosner and Ricardo Brutus are both guilty as sin.
And as long as I write this column, they’ll never eat lunch in this town again.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
