A Message from the State Attorney |
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Dear Friend,
The new year always fills me with anticipation and excitement for the many new opportunities that come our way. My team and I recognize that it is an honor and a privilege to have your trust as we fulfill our primary mission of protecting and defending the community while upholding the law. As you know, we always aim to balance our core values of enforcing the law while acting with fairness, integrity, and justice in our search for the truth.
I am grateful for the many partnerships we have developed, collaborations we have been part of, and positive changes we have implemented. My office works with countless governmental agencies, elected officials, community organizations, faith-based groups, and everyday people to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, and society. We do so in a multitude of ways and by working together to resolve the issues that challenge our safety and well-being.
Whether it is gun violence, human trafficking, public corruption, domestic violence, elder and vulnerable adult abuse, economic crimes, etc…, we at the State Attorney’s Office are dedicated to finding solutions and seeking justice.
I am very proud of everything we have accomplished during the past year, and I am excited to share with you our 2022 Year In Review which details the efforts of my dedicated prosecutors and support staff to keep our Smart Justice approach in motion.
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Please feel free to view and share our Year in Review which can be found on our website. Click here to view.
Once again, I appreciate the support and trust that you give us every day. With your help, we have, and will continue to promote, positive change.
Thank you and God Bless,
Sincerely,
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SAO Police Accountability & Integrity Team:
Two Hialeah Police Officers, One Civilian
Arrested
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a press conference at the State Attorney's Office with City of Hialeah Police Chief George Fuente, Deputy Chief of Special Prosecutions Tim VanderGeisen and Division Chief Shawn Abuhoff, to announce the filing of felony criminal charges including Armed Kidnapping, Official Misconduct/Solicitation and Battery, against officers Lorenzo Orfila & Rafael Otano, and Witness Tampering charges against civilian Ali Amin Saleh. The officers have since been terminated by Hialeah PD.
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The SAO Police Accountability and Integrity Team (PAIT) is handling this case which stems from an incident in December where the officers violated various department policies and laws by transporting the Victim to a desolate location where they knocked him unconscious and abandoned him there. Two weeks later, the Victim was given $1350 by Saleh to sign an affidavit stating he hadn't been beaten and didn't want the officers to be punished.
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Human Trafficking Charges Filed Against
Maryland Rapper
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a press conference at the State Attorney's Office along with Florida Highway Patrol Major Roger Reyes, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent-in-Charge Troy Walker, SAO Human Trafficking Task Force Commander Daniel Mosquera, Director of SAO Human Trafficking Unit Brenda Mezick and ASA Nicolas Chavez.
Monriko Mequel Clements, 31, is charged with one count of Human Trafficking which is a first degree felony. He also faces one count of Deriving Proceeds From Prostitution, 2nd degree felony. Clements, aka King Swuice, met his victim on a dating website and began a relationship. After she lost her job, he promised her fast money. He allegedly plied her with drugs, beat her and forced her into prostitution. At one point, the victim was so desperate to get away that she jumped out of a moving car on the Dolphin Expressway.
"I also want to thank the United States Marshals Service, the Montgomery County Police Department and the Howard County Police Department in Maryland for, their assistance and collaboration in locating Monriko Clements in the State of Maryland and taking him into custody pursuant to our arrest warrant," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
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Human Trafficking Awareness Month |
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SAO Annual Human Trafficking Forum:
"Why I Run"
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle hosted her Annual Human Trafficking Forum joined by co-sponsor, President and CEO of Jackson Health System Carlos A. Migoya, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 8 Danielle Cohen Higgins.
This year's theme was "Why I Run" and focused on strengthening law enforcement’s protection of missing children from human traffickers.
The keynote speakers for the forum included survivors and youth from our community, and representatives from community partner agencies who work together with our Human Trafficking Task Force and Unit, including Tree of Life Parenting Center, Citrus Family Care Network & Youth Advisory Council, Survivor’s Pathway and Girl Power Rocks.
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Human Trafficking Awareness and
Prevention Summit
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle was the Keynote Speaker at the 4th Annual Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Summit hosted by the Global Innovative Foundation and Miami Dade College Medical Campus in collaboration with Alpha Beta Epsilon.
The well-attended event is held annually during the month of January which is recognized as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Numerous community partners, including Survivors Pathway, Kristi House, Miami-Dade County and others, joined State Attorney Fernandez Rundle as members of the distinguished panel sharing the realities of human trafficking in our own community with the Medical Campus students attending the summit.
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Celebrating the Life & Legacy
of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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5000 Role Models of Excellence |
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle joined local, state and national leaders to celebrate the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project at the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast.
This year, the National Spokesman was Mr. Omari Hardwick, aka "Ghost" from Power, and there was a surprise appearance by our First Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, members of her Community Outreach Division, and Justice in Motion (JIM) Bus, joined local leaders, members of law enforcement and community residents for the 46th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Liberty City.
Rooted in the ingenuity and excitement of the human spirit, this intergenerational celebration is key to cultivating racial pride and nurturing community building by recognizing ethnic contributions to our contemporary society and transmitting that knowledge to future generations.
The event coordinator, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade & Festivities Committee, is committed to honoring and expanding the grand vision of freedom, justice, and equality for all people by annually commemorating Dr. King’s uplifting message of virtuous, non-violent change, and providing a dynamic, accessible forum for empowering education that inspires personal and societal transformation.
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State Attorney Fernandez Rundle Shares
Legislative Reforms Plan at
Hammocks HOA Town Hall Meeting
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a Town Hall Meeting where she spoke with dozens of residents of the Hammocks Homeowners Association regarding the need for legislative reform to protect the rights and property of all members of HOAs in our county and state.
“We have been fighting together to make sure that you and all homeowners throughout our community, have their rights respected and enforced. We're going to work together to enhance and toughen the laws governing HOAs in Florida."
Accompanied by SAO Chief of Investigations Emiliano Tamayo and Deputy Chief Assistant Nilo Cuervo, State Attorney Fernandez Rundle presented recommendations from her plan to hold HOA leaders more accountable from having to be more transparent with documents to tough consequences for those who break the law.
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The members of the Hammocks HOA presented State Attorney Fernandez Rundle with a leather-bound book filled with personal messages of appreciation for the work she and our office have done in their case.
In November, several former and current Hammocks HOA Board Members were charged with stealing more than $2 million from the association. Five individuals were arrested on charges from racketeering, to grand theft, to money laundering.
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Jury Finds "Pillowcase Rapist" Guilty
in 1983 Case
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Ex-MDCPS Teacher Found Guilty of Sex Crimes Against Student |
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Human Trafficker Arrested; Lured Arkansas Victim to Miami
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Former News Contributor Charged with Exploiting Her Mother
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Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Dorris and Murray Felton Excellence
in Law Enforcement Award
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is proud to announce that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) accepted her nomination of Khalil Quinan for their 2022 “Doris and Murray Felton Excellence in Law Enforcement Award in the Prosecutorial category.
"Please join me in congratulating Khalil on being selected for this prestigious honor that is bestowed annually to a highly respected and experienced Assistant State Attorney committed to Hate Crimes prosecutions,” said State Attorney Fernandez Rundle.
Khalil began his career with our office in 2016 and has been a true rising star among his peers. Khalil joined my Gun Violence Reduction Initiative and Gun Violence Unit three years later. His position has him co-located with the Miami-Dade Police Department where he handles proactive and reactive investigations of violent individuals in the Northside District of Miami-Dade County. While Khalil predominantly handles complex murders and attempted murders, he also handles various cases related to gun violence. One example is the June 15, 2020, racially motivated Aggravated Assault of a Northside resident.
As a result of Khalil’s work on that case and his invaluable commitment and dedication to his craft, we are proud of his selection for the Anti-Defamation League’s 2022 Doris and Murray Felton Excellence in Law Enforcement Award in the Prosecutorial category, a very well-deserved recognition.
We at the SAO offer our heartfelt congratulations to our esteemed colleague Khalil!
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Community Outreach in Action |
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In Our Own Backyard
Human Trafficking Symposium
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Community Outreach Representatives Janeen Jones and Steve Machin, Human Trafficking prosecutor Nicolas Chavez, and Human Trafficking Task Force Members, participated in the Dade County Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Human Trafficking Symposium and Resource Fair held at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.
The theme was “In Our Own Backyard”, as human trafficking is a very important issue that is occurring right in our own South Florida backyard, and the statistics of this horrific crime and the fact that we are finding it in our own community has surprised, if not shocked, many people.
“My SAO team and I are constantly speaking to community groups and agencies on this prevalent form of modern slavery in order to build awareness on the available educational opportunities and industry best practices to stave the tide of human trafficking in South Florida,” commented State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
“We need a million eyes and ears to help us in this battle against the scourge that is human trafficking. Our children and youth deserve better.”
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SAO County Court Chief Elvia Medina Marcus, her Assistant Chief Nicole Pierluisi, and Community Outreach Representative Janeen Jones joined the Honorable Judge Steve Leifman, members of the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, Clerk of the Court and other community service partner providers for the first Veterans Stand Down of 2023.
The event was hosted by South Dade Veterans Alliance in partnership with Miami-Dade County Commissioners Kionne L McGhee and Danielle Cohen-Higgins at which numerous community service and resource providers came together to assist veterans with their criminal cases, legal services, VA benefits and services, housing assistance for homeless veterans, mental health services, dental and health screenings, employment services and much more.
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Community Outreach Representative Angie Fernandez joined members of the North Miami Beach Asian Seniors Club for their Christmas Luncheon hosted by Commissioner Michael Joseph and the City of North Miami Beach.
Angie shared tips on Holiday Safety with the attendees via a Cantonese translator.
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Community Outreach Representatives Janeen Jones and Steve Machin, along with our Justice in Motion (JIM) Bus, joined several of our community partners and their representatives, including Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, First St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Fredric Killings (President of Fred’s Closet), State Senator Shevrin Jones, Miami Gardens Police Chief Noel-Pratt and Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris, among others, to participate in Fred's Closet’s 1st Annual Anti-Gun Violence Awareness & Community Day event at Scott Lake Park in Miami Gardens. |
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Community Outreach Representative Angie Fernandez joined several of our community partners, including Citrus Health Network, City of Miami Police and workforce members, CHI and others, to participate in the Walking One Stop in Coconut Grove, going door-to-door speaking with residents about our services.
For more information, please visit www.miamisao.com/community/
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Luis G. Montaldo,
Interim Clerk of Courts
Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida
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This month we highlight a distinguished
alumnus of our SAO family.
We present our SAO Alumni Profile -
Luis G. Montaldo.
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