This morning, criminal attorney Benedict P. Kuehne handed a very special gift to North Miami Beach EX-Mayor Myron Rosner today – his SIXTEENTH felony trial continuance!

Is anyone surprised?

It’s been almost three years since Myron was arrested on four felony charges and five misdemeanors, including grand theft third degree, campaign finance fraud, unlawful compensation, and abusing his position as an elected official.

In the real world, this case would be a slam dunk for the prosecution.  The criminal investigation revealed that Myron:

• Paid for non-campaign advertising with campaign funds;
• Strong-armed a city vendor into giving him over $11,000.00 worth of campaign advertising for free;
• Reported the advertising as a $500.00 “in-kind” donation from the vendor;
• Revised his report after he was busted;
• Miraculously “found” a four month old check payable to the vendor but never cashed;
• And then scrambled to cover the check after the fact.

If that weren’t bad enough, when Myron finally – and begrudgingly – handed the $4,500.00 check to the vendor, Martin Outdoor Media (MOM), he did so only under the condition it was in exchange for a $4,500.00 “donation” to Myron’s Political Action Committee, “Citizens United.”

All of which is off-the-charts illegal.

On November 26, 2013, almost two years ago, I reported:

Under oath, Scott Martin stated that he “agreed to Myron Joel Rosner’s contract terms based on the fact that he was “scared of losing” MOM’s city-owned bus contract.  Scott Martin further stated that he has never been “shaken down like this” and he feared Myron Joel Rosner’s Mayoral position and the fact that Myron Joel Rosner is married to a judge.”

Mr. Martin reiterated Myron’s insistence on the “swapping checks” scheme, and that “Rosner never intended to pay for the” advertising.  Mr. Martin stated that Myron claimed “he was running for higher office,” which Martin “understood the statement as a threat to submit to Myron Joel Rosner’s demands or suffer business financial losses.”

There is no doubt in my mind that the main reason this case has been allowed to drag on for four years and counting is because Myron is married to the very politically connected CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE SARAH ZABEL.

Since State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is up for re-election next year, she certainly doesn’t want this case going to trial.  Kathy can’t risk losing even one judicial endorsement, especially from a celebrity judge who made national headlines last year when she ruled that Florida’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.

Then there’s Myron’s “superstar” lawyer, Ben Kuehne.

Aside from being Miami-Dade County’s top go-to lawyer for the criminally political jet set, he’s also one of Kathy’s VIP “insiders” at the State Attorney’s Office.

Ben’s claim to fame is his expertise in delaying trials indefinitely.  Not only has Kuehne managed to have Myron’s criminal case continued SIXTEEN times, he’s also been granted numerous orders of continuance from the Florida Elections Commission (FEC) in Tallahassee.  The Commission has also yet to hear Myron’s pending cases on two complaints filed with that agency in April of 2011.

The amazing irony is that although the FEC found probable cause that Myron violated elections laws, which findings launched the criminal investigation and his eventual arrest, I was advised that the Commission will keep granting Kuehne continuances until he wraps up Myron’s criminal trial.

Which, as we all know by now, will probably never happen.

What a freaking con game!

Now that his imaginary trial has been delayed yet again, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish Myron a very Happy Sweet 16!

Party on, dude.  Party on.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”