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STATE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE NEWSLETTER
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I want to publicly thank Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Commission on the Status of Women for recently selecting me
for induction
into the
prestigious
Florida Women's Hall of Fame.
It is a tremendous
honor to have been selected from a group of so many
distinguished
candidates.
I am humbled to be included with so many accomplished women like my friend and mentor U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, my good friends Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen & Judge Rosemary Barkett, Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince, Grammy Award
winner
singer Gloria Estefan, and Florida's first female Speaker
of the House
Gwen Margolis.
In my heart, I deeply believe that all of the women who are honored by their inclusion into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame were not seeking any form of admiration or public reward. They were simply doing what they thought was the right thing to do. Doing that right thing made a difference in the lives of the people of the great State of Florida.
Every woman in this
Hall
of
Fame
represents someone who cast aside so many of the barriers of daily life and moved us all collectively forward.
In reflecting on those who preceded me with this honor, I realized that they individually and collectively help shape me and my life's work in public service.
With this honor...my duty continues. I will remain diligent as an advocate for those who are vulnerable,
our
voiceless victims.
Sincerely,
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| State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and her son, Attorney Justin Rundle |
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State Attorney & St. Thomas U. Announce Donation
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle hosted a joint press conference with St. Thomas University to announce a donation of $2.5 million by Mr. John Brunetti Sr. to St. Thomas University School of Law Human Trafficking Academy.
"I am determined to help educate others on human trafficking, provide support to trafficking survivors, and to stand up for the rights and the dignity that they deserve," said Brunetti, Chairman of Hialeah Park and Casino. "This gift will not only strengthen, but advance the Academy's commitment to its mission of providing dignified care to victims and survivors, as well as informing the public of this horrible threat to society."
The State Attorney and the Academy will work together to take advantage of each other's resources to create awareness of human trafficking issues, and to better understand the needs of victims.
"Mr. Brunetti's donation will help to expand services which include preventative and professional education, services and education for the victims of human trafficking, and legal assistance for survivors," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Since the State Attorney established the Human Trafficking Unit in 2012, she has sought to bring light to this horrific crime by partnering with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jackson Memorial Hospital, the University of Miami Medical Center, Camillus House, and the The Women's Fund.
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Former North Miami Beach Mayor Charged
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A $150,000 investment in a Limited Partnership intended to develop 2.2 acres of vacant land in North Miami has led to the charging of former North Miami Beach Mayor Myron Rosner.
The investigation conducted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and the State of Florida's Office of Financial Regulation revealed that after making a series of false investment representations and omitting several material facts to Dr. David Rosenbaum, an investor in a prior successful development group, Mr. Rosner obtained $150,000 from Dr. Rosenbaum. This made Dr. Rosenbaum one of 10 planned Limited Partners in the enterprise. The investment package supplied to Dr. Rosenbaum (and supposedly supplied to other potential investors) indicated that Myron Rosner's wife, Sarah Zabel, was named as the General Partner of the Limited Partnership.
Problems arose in the course of attempting to develop the property, including a failure to gain any additional investors. However, rather than returning Dr. Rosenbaum's $150,000, the money was spent paying $13,000 on the mortgage on Rosner and Zabel's home, paying Rosner $86,700, paying Rosner's construction company $10,000, and paying some $30,000 in personal expenses through Rosner's construction company. Ultimately the investment account was left with a balance of $350.00.
Myron Rosner has been charged with:
- Securities Fraud (3rd Degree Felony)
- Sale of an Unregistered Security (3rd Degree Felony)
- Sale of Security by an Unregistered Dealer (3rd Degree Felony)
- Grand Theft (3rd Degree Felony)
"Florida's securities statutes exist to protect investors from fraud," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "Good faith, good intentions and grand plans mean little when invested monies are transformed into credit card and mortgage payments. I want to thank the Bureau of Financial Regulation for all the assistance they provided throughout this investigation."
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State Attorney Activates Voter Protection Task Force
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State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the activation of her Voter Protection Task Force in order to ensure that the upcoming elections remain free of any impropriety or illegal activity.
"Law enforcement will be working the streets to make sure that voting in our county is fair and that everyone's voice is heard. I have set up an Election Response Team that will go out on our streets in response to any complaints about possible voting irregularities", commented State Attorney Fernandez Rundle.
Investigators and civilian employees from the State Attorney's Office will be available through Election Day, November 7.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office has also activated the Voter Protection Hotline. Anyone who suspects improper or irregular activities is urged to call the Hotline at 305-547-3300.
The State Attorney's Office stands ready to act on every citizen's behalf to preserve the integrity of our elections and every vote cast. Through your vote, you exercise your right to be heard.
For more information on voting location sites and times click
here.
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State Attorney's Office Staff Member Profile
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| Alexandra Rider, Paralegal, Human Trafficking Unit |
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We are adding an exciting new feature to our monthly newsletter. While we will still be profiling our wonderful SAO Alumni, we will also profile current employees and the work that they do outside of the office to benefit the community. These segments will be titled "Profiles of Passion" and will include employees from across all divisions of our great SAO family. You will see alternating profiles each month on either alumni or current employees. We hope you enjoy reading about these amazing individuals.
Our first Profile of Passion is Alexandra "Alex" Rider, a Paralegal III in our Human Trafficking Unit. She has been at the SAO for almost 11 years working in various capacities.
"I am very proud to have Alex as part of our SAO family and especially fortunate to have her as part of our Human Trafficking Task Force," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "Not only does she work to eradicate the scourge of Human Trafficking in our community here at work, but on her personal time, she works tirelessly with the Miami Chapter, United States National Committee for United Nations Women (USNC-UNW), in advancing the cause of women and stopping gender violence."
Alex has been a driving force in the success of the Miami Chapter of USNC-UNW and served as the group's President for two years. "We are the leading chapter in the nation and this is partially thanks to the support of our State Attorney and the office in participating in our events such as the Walk to Stop Violence Against Women, the sponsoring of film screenings, and participation at community events."
Alex began as a Case Analyst in our Child Support Division and worked in that capacity for two years. In December 2009, she was awarded Employee of the Month and consistently received the highest job performance ratings possible in every Employee Performance Review. She then served as a Trial Coordinator in our Public Corruption Unit where she was consistently commended for high performance and was awarded Team Member of the Month in 2011.
"I am originally from Peru but came to the United States 30 years ago due to the terrorism in my country," says Alex. "I had finished law school but had to leave due to the situation."
Alex has always been a natural cheerleader. "I guess that I started my work with empowering others when I was in kindergarten," she chuckles. "The teachers would always point out how I was always as happy when my classmates won awards or recognitions as if I would have been had I been the one who actually won."
"As a teen I was involved with organizations that helped children with cancer. And later when I was in law school, I was part of a group that helped educate women as to their rights whether it was regarding property, violence against women, or issues in the workplace. We did this by holding different free clinics and doing pro bono work."
When Alex came to the United States, she got involved in different organizations, among them the Coalition of Hispanic American Women (CHAW); National Hispanic Leadership Institute, and Leadership Miami.
"My heart has always been about empowering women and in order to empower them we have to rescue them sometimes," she explains. "I had always wanted a job with a mission and that is what I found at the SAO. Now I am blessed to have my dream job in the Human Trafficking Unit where most of our victims are young women."
As a Paralegal III, Alex is responsible for gathering, tracking, analyzing, maintaining and issuing reports on Human Trafficking data for Miami-Dade County. She is also in charge of issuing specialized subpoenas and obtaining highly confidential information from Internet providers, online websites, and other sources. She works closely with the Victim Specialists and the attorneys assigned to the Human Trafficking Task Force. She is involved in every suspected human trafficking incident, from inquiries through investigations, through filed cases, and the completion of the legal process, extending her assistance to every other area of the human trafficking spectrum such as training, policy design, and securing new resources for victims and survivors.
"I am so fortunate to not only be able to empower women through the organizations that I am a part of, but I am extremely fortunate to have a job where my passion is in line with the mission of the office," says Alex.
Congratulations to Alexandra "Alex" Rider for being our first Profile of Passion.
We hope that you have enjoyed getting to know a little more about our colleague and how she is making a difference in the world.
If you have any one that you would like for us to highlight here, please contact Lissette Valdes-Valle on our Media team.
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Courthouse Highlights
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Assistant State Attorney (ASA) Benjamin Gellis worked diligently on a DUI Manslaughter case that had resulted in the death of a 48 year old man that was on his way to work. The defendant was recently sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison followed by 9 years of probation.
ASA's William Reich and David Shapiro convicted a defendant on a very sophisticated Armed Robbery case. The Armed Robbery was done while the Defendant was masked, so identification was a difficult issue to prove. David and William crafted various well-reasoned arguments created from inference in the evidence and persuaded the jury to a guilty as charged verdict.
Division Chief Natalie Snyder and ASA Pallavi Garg obtained a conviction on 4 counts of Sexual Battery on a Child Less than 12 by an Adult and 3 counts of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation on a Child Less than 12 by an Adult.
Although Natalie very recently took a 1st Degree Murder case to trial (and won!), she agreed to handle this case because the ASA who had been handling the matter had recently gone on maternity leave.
Pallavi graciously volunteered to assist Natalie with the trial.
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| REPORT PUBLIC CORRUPTION ! |
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Don't Allow the Public's Trust to be Jeopardized.
Hotline:
305-547-3300
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| Grand Jury Reports |
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Need the latest Grand Jury Report or any other Grand Jury Report dating back to 1965?
Click Here
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| Our Community Outreach Events |
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November 6 - Model City/Liberty City Walking One Stop, Miami Police Department North District Station, 1000 NW 62 Street, Miami, FL, 33150, 9:30AM - 12:00PM
November 7 - Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County Meeting, 1515 NW 79 Avenue, Doral, FL, 33126, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
November 9 - Community Meeting with Church Leaders & Ministerial Alliance, Greater St. Paul AME Church, 3680 Thomas Avenue, Miami, FL, 33133, 8:00AM - 11:00AM
November 14 - Lindsey Hopkins Tech Career & Wellness Fair, Lindsey Hopkins Tech, 750 NW 20 Street, Miami, FL, 33127, 9:00AM - 12:00PM
November 16 - Sealing & Expungement Event, William Dickinson Community Center, 1601 North Krome Avenue, Homestead, FL, 33030, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
November 17 - Barbara Watson Thanksgiving Farm Share, Allen Park / DeLeonardis Youth Center, 1770 NE 162 Street, North Miami Beach, FL, 33162, 9:00AM - 12:00PM
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