[Boca Raton, FL] Seems that U.S. Rep. Allen West (R-22/West Palm Beach) – the sort-of still a Tea Party fave who’s running for re-election in a different district (18) this time out – doesn’t want to really talk about the incident which caused him to “retire” from the military.

Or was he kicked out (albeit gently)?

The outspoken member of Congress, when pressed about the outcome of that incident at a recent Boca Raton speaking engagement, instead suggested that those assembled discuss President Obama‘s drug use back when he was a teenager and college student.

Huh?

Here’s the exchange, as reported by Think Progress:

QUESTIONER: Please release your Article 15 conviction.

WEST: I was not convicted of anything. I think everyone knows what happened. I mean if you guys have a problem with the fact that people were out there planning to kill my soldiers and I found a guy, I put a pistol, shot over his head, and they weren’t killing my soldiers anymore. If you guys have a problem with that, you need to go talk to someone else, because if I’m in that exact same situation, I’m making the same decision for those men and women. [...] So if you guys want to go back and talk about what happened nine years ago for me, let’s talk about the president doing blow, and smoking dope.

VIDEO OF ALLEN WEST BEING INTERROGATED BY A CONSTITUENT:

Wow. First of all, let’s review Allen West’s war crimes. Yes, he was convicted – the military version of convicted – of falsely imprisoning two men, torturing a suspect and not following proper Army procedure. He was hit with an Article 15, which is just below a court martial, and fined $5,000.

West was allowed to retire in 2004 with full benefits.

Yet his telling of the incident sounds so patriotic, doesn’t it? When, in fact, West violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a very serious offense.

As reported previously in Sunshine Slate, the story goes like this: While serving in Taji, Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel West got some information that there may be a plot to ambush him and his men possibly involving civilian Iraqi policeman Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi.

West had his men in his command detain Hamoodi for questioning. Problem was that West, despite being a lieutenant colonel, had never conducted – or even witnessed – an interrogation before. He was not authorized to conduct one.

As you can see in the recounting below, West would have been better off if he had just said no to interrogation:

Arriving at the interrogation room, West approached Hamoodi, took out his gun, and chambered a round. He placed it in his lap with the gun barrel facing Hamoodi. “I had drawn out my pistol as a means of conveying a threat to him for the seriousness of wanting the information,” West told investigators. Hamoodi said that after West’s arrival, “a soldier pulled his shirt over his head, and numerous others began to punch him in the chest.” The beating bruised his ribs, said Hamoodi, but those bruises had healed in the month that passed before he met with investigators.

Said West: “Yes, there had been sporadic body punches and shoving to the individual, which I witnessed but did not allow to get too brutal.”

Photo: allenwest2012

Hamoodi still didn’t give West or the soldiers the information they wanted, either because he wasn’t part of the assassination plot or because he was being an uncooperative witness.

West ordered Hamoodi out of the interrogation room and took him outside the facility, where Hamoodi says West pointed to six soldiers who were standing in line with their weapons in hand. Through the Egyptian translator, West told Hamoodi: “If you don’t talk, they will kill you.”

When that didn’t work, West admitted to pushing Hamoodi’s head into a clearing barrel full of sand, which is typically used for clearing weapons. West then put his gun into the same barrel, near Hamoodi’s head and fired.

“In my anger I do not know if I fired two shots in to the barrel or one into the air and another into the barrel,” said West in his sworn statement.

Now how does that compare to President Obama doing drugs 30 years ago as a teen and/or as a college student? It doesn’t. Tens of millions of people did drugs in their youth – very few gave illegal torturous interrogations and committed war crimes before being booted from the Army.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Images: allenwest2012

Allen West

[West Palm Beach, FL] Ever since his name was mentioned as a possible contender for the GOP‘s VP spot in the 2012 presidential election, U.S. Rep. Allen West (R-22/Fort Lauderdale) has dialed up the crazy talk.

The darling of the Tea Party people seems to never miss a chance at grabbing headlines for his outlandish statements. He just can’t help himself. He’s Allen West!

It has only been a few short weeks since “Mama Grizzly” Sarah Palin, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and “Pizza Guy” Herman Cain all proclaimed that Colonel Allen West was their first choice for the VP job. Since then, West has come unhinged. Completely unhinged.

According to West, he’s uncovered a plot within the Democratic party so devious that it already comes neatly prepackaged with an ultra-buzzy buzz word. In fact, it is one of the biggest buzz words of all time in American cultural history: communists.

ABC News reported that Allen West said: “I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party.”

Note to West: you are supposed to dial down on the loco when people are considering you for the second most powerful job in Washington D.C. Third most powerful if you count Grover Norquist. And you should.

The Palm Beach Post also reported that West said the following (yes, he refers to himself in the third person):

“I really wish that, standing here before you, was Allen West and President Obama,” West said. “We could have a simple discussion. But that ain’t ever gonna happen.”

“Why not?” an audience member asked.

“Cuz he was too scared!” West responded in a mocking voice.

WATCH HIS COMMENT HERE:

President Obama is “too scared” or doesn’t care? He doesn’t have time to meet with every member of Congress individually. And President  especially doesn’t want to “hang out” with one of the most extreme members of the opposition party that constantly bashes him.

Or maybe it is just because the President of the United States doesn’t want to hang out with guys like Allen West, who “pals around” with outlaw biker gangs and has tortured prisoners against international and U.S. law, as previously reported by Sunshine Slate.

In defense of West’s “commie” comment, spokeswoman Angela Melvin told The Huffington Post that, ” The Congressman was referring to the 76 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The Communist Party has publicly referred to the Progressive Caucus as its allies.”

“The Progressive Caucus speaks for itself. These individuals certainly aren’t proponents of free markets or individual economic freedom,” Melvin said.

So he did mean exactly we thought he meant, Melvin. Of course, equating progressive Democrats to communists is an extremist point of view, some would say.

Wouldn’t want you to start the RED SCARE PART 2, now would you Congressman West? You know how the American people loves sequels.

Well, not everybody. Count the NAACP not amused: they dropped West from a scheduled speech-appearance.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: TexasGOPVote.com  (Allen West photo), graphics by Sunshine Slate Images

Allen West

[West Palm Beach, FL] With the grueling Republican primary finally over – Rick Santorum dropped out yesterday, if you haven’t heard – the jockeying for position has begun for potential running mates for Mitt Romney. So far, much of the hype-buzz surrounds South Florida Congressman Allen West (R-22/Fort Lauderdale).

First, as reported by Sunshine Slate, Sarah Palin was the first major Republican talking head to “nominate” West.

“You know who I’d like to see … Colonel Allen West,” Palin said during the interview. “Colonel Allen West, who’s been to the school of hard knocks, he should be the one who should be considered seriously for VP.”

“In this very tumultuous time across our world, someone who has served in our military or at least has intimate knowledge of the way the military works and should work, perhaps by having a close family member serve, someone like that,” said Palin, emphasizing West’s military background.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also spoke out in favor of West as the VP nod, telling FOX News that, “You have heard Governor Palin talk about West, and he’s good.”

But Haley also said there were some other good options (including another from Florida).

“Of course, Marco Rubio is great and Chris Christie. We know he can be the fighter, and I think there are so many really great ones out there,” said Haley. “I think Romney is going to have a hard time picking.”

Photo: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate Images

Herman Cain suggested South Florida Congressman Allen West for the VP slot

Now another major player on the GOP scene has come forward with an endorsement for West for the 2012 ticket as VP: Herman Cain. During an interview on Monday on a radio show hosted by Steve Gill as reported by Talking Points Memo, Cain was asked his thoughts on who should get the VP nod.

“Colonel Allen West out of Florida,” Cain said without hesitation. “Here’s why. He is well-spoken, he is direct, people in Florida love him, he has a huge following. He is from Florida. Florida is going to be one of those key states.”

“But more importantly, Colonel Allen West is a dedicated patriot,” said Cain. “He served in the military, and he is willing to serve his country some more.”

Cain didn’t stop there – he offered West a helping hand in the inner dialogue he might have on the matter.

“Now I know that there might be some push back on his part, because he’s just in his first term as a United States Congressman,” Cain said. “But my advice to him, if he were to ask me, is, you’ve served your country well and now you have a higher calling.”

“I would strongly recommend that he consider it, depending on any personal considerations he might have,” the former campaigner-for-president said.

In other Allen West news – there’s always something – the outspoken Republican actually said that supports about “10 to 15 pages” of the embattled Affordable Care Act, which probably didn’t sit well with his Tea Party base. But it was his comment on a certain provision that caught a lot of attention.

“You want to talk about something that’s really racist? They have a tanning tax,” West said, referring to a tax on tanning salons in the Affordable Care Act’s language, as reported by the The Palm Beach Post.

“I’m not tanning.”

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: from Allen West’s official Flickr photostream

Allen West

[West Palm Beach, FL] Back in August of last year, Sunshine Slate reported on federal indictments that alleged that a fortune-telling family was ripping off clients all the while claiming to ward off evil spirits, financial hardship and the like in exchange for millions of dollars.

$40 million, in fact, say federal prosecutors. The case even ensnared a celebrity author – Jude Gilliam Montassir, who writes under the name Jude Deverau – who forked over $20 million to this tribe of fortune-telling gypsies.

Now, with the court date fast approaching in November, defense attorneys for the family are revealing the cards that they will play in court. They say that the family has done nothing wrong, that their actions are protected by the First Amendment and the freedom to worship any way they see fit.

While the lawyers for ringleader Rose Marks and eight others try to spook prosecutors into dropping the charges, the case brings up an interesting debate: Is fortune-telling free speech, or is it an age-old scam that uses religion as both its hook, and its cover?

If fortune-telling of this type has long been considered protected free speech – as the clan’s lawyers claim, anyway – does that also offer blanket protection to take millions from clients for services when those clients believe a particular job or service is being performed?

The problem is, what these folks offer is bogus, unsubstantiated garbage in the form of spiritual entertainment. They cannot talk to the dead. They do not have special powers. They simply have a gift, and that gift is to coax the gullible into giving them money for something they actually are physically (and spiritually) unable to do.

But try proving that in a court of law. That’s where this case gets interesting. Prosecutors could get dangerously close to saying that none of this is real, and thereby, saying that any belief in the “supernatural” or “powerful beings” is simply not true. You know, like god, the devil, etc. Will they go down that prickly road?

Possibly emboldening prosecutors is their contention that the evidence shows that the fortune-telling family also scared these people into thinking that bad things will happen to them if they didn’t follow their directions which usually involved giving them money and/or valuables, according to the court filings.

Their actions of “spiritual extortion” went far beyond mere fortune-telling and entered the realm of fraud.

The victims would “suffer terrible consequences, including diseases, hauntings, and financial hardships, unless they turned over their money and valuables for ‘cleansing’ by the defendants,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida release.

And that, prosecutors will no doubt argue, is fraud any way you slice it.

But the case could hinge on the fact that what they were doing wasn’t technically illegal and that no one can prove that they didn’t actually ward off those evil spirits as they claim. Maybe these people can actually do what they say. Maybe they have the spiritual world on speed dial. Maybe they have perpetrated the perfect crime.

The burden of proof is on the prosecution, after all.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Deutscher Maler, 18. Jh. (Umkreis Samuel Beck/Seekatz): Die Wahrsagerin

fortune-telling

[West Palm Beach, FL] A West Palm Beach couple who committed thousands of cases of immigration fraud were sentenced late last week.

According to a report out of the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Levy Garcia Crespo, and his wife, Anyelina Cid Bonilla, of West Palm Beach, were sentenced in district court for their role in an immigration scheme that netted them at least $1.8 million.

United States District Judge Kenneth A. Marra sentenced Crespo to 42 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. Marra sentenced Bonilla to 30 months imprisonment and two years of supervised release.

Court documents show that Crespo and Bonilla submitted fraudulent immigration applications on behalf of illegal aliens to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The USCIS automatically generates receipts indicating that the applications were pending.

The illegal aliens would then take those receipts to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and would obtain a driver’s license. According to court filings, over 90% of the more than 3,000 applications submitted by Crespo and Bonilla were fraudulent.

The pair charged the illegals high prices for their “services.” And they lived large on that money – The Palm Beach Post reported back in 2011 that the couple’s home was well-stocked with expensive luxury vehicles.

Additionally, Crespo told some of his clients that he was an immigration attorney when, in fact, he was not and has never been an attorney. He and even went so far as to pose as an immigration attorney in court, using the name Gerald Salerno, a former assistant state attorney.

Along with Bonilla, Crespo convinced illegal aliens that he could help them. In exchange, the aliens paid the defendants exorbitant legal fees. Crespo and Bonilla gained at least 1.8 million dollars as a result of the scheme.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), USCIS and the and the Palm Beach Fusion Center all helped with this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rinku Tribuiani prosecuted the case.

Watch a 2011 video report by WPBF here.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: Anyelina Cid Bonilla leaving the courtroom back in 2011 (photo: WPBF video still)

immigration fraud

[West Palm Beach, FL] With the Easter holiday soon approaching on April 8, the West Palm Beach Police Department used an ingenious tactic to catch motorists not wearing their seat belts: a bunny costume, according to a report in The Palm Beach Post.

Drivers were greeted roadside by an innocuous-looking costumed character holding a sign that read “Have a safe, hoppy holiday. Buckle up!”

Little did the people in the vehicles know that inside that bunny costume was a police officer who was sending signals as to which motorists were not in compliance with the seat-belt law to ticket-writing patrolmen on a side street. In fact, many were honking with delight at the sight of the fluffy character.

Then some of them were less delighted as they were issued a ticket.

The tactic – dubbed “Operation Hippity Hop” – worked almost too well, as the police cited 50 motorists in just the first two hours. At around $116 a pop, that adds up quick.

“You never know where we’re going to be or what we’re going to look like,” warned Sgt. Matthew Bessette, who came up with the idea, according to the Post.

A little Orwellian, but we get the idea, Sarge. See the video below:

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: The Palm Beach Post video still

Related reading:

Around the region for April 2, 2012 (Gainesville Sun) The West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was airlifted to a hospital after being struck by a vehicle while on patrol. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said the deputy was patrolling in the city of Lake …

After Trayvon Martin shooting, black parents teach sons realities of racism (The Palm Beach Post) Former Palm Beach County sheriff’s Detective Janet Jackson is teaching her son, Rick, that obeying authorities can be critical to his safety. Rick, 8, thought Trayvon Martin’s death ‘was very sad,’ Jackson says. By Sonja Isger “Everybody is not in your …

West Palm Beach Police

[Tallahassee, FL] While some are screaming for immediate action, Florida’s Governor wants to let investigators and a newly created task force take their time and do it right.

Gov. Rick Scott doesn’t want to rush the investigation into the shooting of Trayvon Martin and won’t expedite the work of a task force that will examine the state’s self defense law, a spokesman said Tuesday.

State Sen. Chris Smith (D-29/West Palm Beach), the incoming leader of the Democratic caucus in the Senate, had urged Scott to speed up the planned work of the task force created by Scott to review the state’s 2005 “stand your ground” self defense law.

It now appears like the “stand your ground” self defense law may be used in the defense of George Zimmerman, if he is charged.

Zimmerman shot Martin under still unclear circumstances a month ago in Sanford, in Seminole County. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, is claiming self defense, his lawyer said over the weekend, and hasn’t been arrested.

The shooting, though, has gained national attention. Martin, 17, wasn’t armed and was returning to a home where he was staying when Zimmerman followed him before the confrontation that ended with Martin’s death.

Zimmerman’s lawyer and a family friend, have said publicly in recent days that Zimmerman was attacked by Martin, and shot him only after being jumped.

Lawmakers comment on Trayvon Martin & “stand your ground” law

But Martin, who was black, has become a symbol in the last couple of weeks for frustrations by many black Americans with the justice system, and in Tallahassee the case has drawn new attention to the state’s self defense law.

That law was changed in 2005 to say that people who feel they’re under attack have the same rights in the street that they have in their home: that is, they may fight back first, including the use of deadly force, with no duty to try to avoid the confrontation.

That so-called “stand your ground” law was highly controversial when passed in 2005 and signed into law by then-Gov. Jeb Bush. And it is again.

Several lawmakers have called for a new look at that law in the wake of Martin’s death, and Scott last week agreed to create a task force that will take testimony on issues surrounding the law, as well as the Trayvon Martin case in general.

But the panel won’t begin its work until after a state’s attorney has completed an investigation into the case, which could take as long as a year. Smith said in a letter to Scott on Tuesday that that’s too long to wait to decide whether the Legislature may need to change the law.

“The questionable incidents and lives lost under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law did not begin, nor do I expect it to end, with the tragedy in Sanford,” Smith wrote to Scott.

“While the special prosecutor sets about unraveling the facts in the case, and whether self defense was a legitimate factor, the law remains intact – with all the same components still in place for more killings and additional claims of self defense, warranted or not,” Smith said.

Photo: FL House

Rep. Taylor is calling for a special session in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case

Smith asked Scott to quickly call lawmakers into session to address the issue – many of them are set to leave the Legislature in November, and legislators don’t currently have any planned meetings before then. They ended a special session on redistricting on Tuesday.

“I also call upon you to convene within 30 days a special session so that the Legislature can have its voice heard as to the parameters critical to a civilized society,” wrote Smith, who represents the Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area.

Rep. Dwayne Taylor (D-27/Daytona Beach) also called for a special session. Taylor said he was troubled by the way that the law was used in the Martin case – with police deciding not to arrest Zimmerman, rather than having him make his claim to a judge – and the lack of any procedures for how to apply the law.

“That has to be revisited and it needs major, major overhaul or repeal,” Taylor said.

But Scott spokesman Lane Wright said state attorney Angela Corey – who was specially assigned the case by Scott – is working on it now and “he is not going to ask her to rush through the investigation.”

“We still don’t know the effect the stand your ground law might have in this case, so it would be premature to begin evaluating facts when more facts are yet to emerge,” Wright said.

“Gov. Scott believes we need to be thoughtful and thorough as we deal with this awful tragedy and for those reasons he will not interfere with the investigation or prematurely expedite the work of the task force,” said Wright.

By: David Royse/The News Service of Florida

Lead image: Gov. Rick Scott in Israel (photo: Gov.’s Office)

Trayvon Martin

[Tallahassee, FL] Call it the shot heard ’round the world.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) are investigating the Feb. 26 death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen who was shot and killed in Sanford by a neighborhood watch volunteer while visiting his father’s girlfriend’s house in a gated community.

It is the case that is sweeping the consciousness of people the world over, as the bare facts are as disturbing as the legal mechanics spellbinding.

But as the white-hot center of national scrutiny is focused on last month’s killing of Martin, the state’s self defense law, particularly its “stand your ground” proposition, needs a fresh look, black lawmakers said Tuesday.

Gov. Rick Scott said the facts need to be understood first, but didn’t dismiss the idea of a new look at the state’s stand-your-ground law.

George Zimmerman, 28, is claiming self-defense in the shooting of Trayvon Martin and has not yet been charged. In fact, the Sanford Police Dept. eagerly digested Zimmerman’s claims about what happened that night and and let him walk right out the door.

Photo: Sanford Police Dept.

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee

But he may not get far – Seminole County state attorney Norm Wolfinger said on Tuesday that he would bring the case before a grand jury on April 10. That is in addition to the FDLE and DOJ investigations also underway.

Since Martin, who was black, was shot, there have been national calls for an arrest, especially after a 911 tape was released in which police are heard telling Zimmerman not to track Martin’s movements.

“Are you following him?” asked the dispatcher. “Yeah,” Zimmerman replied. “Okay, we don’t need you to do that,” said the dispatcher. “Okay,” Zimmerman said.

Subsequent 911 calls included sounds of screams that ended with a gunshot. A young woman who was talking with Trayvon Martin just before his death – according to cell phone records – told ABC News that he’d said he was being followed.

“He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on,” she said. The 16-year-old, who doesn’t want to be named, said she then heard Martin say, “What are you following me for?” and the man reply, “What are you doing around here?

In 2005, lawmakers changed the state’s self defense law, allowing people to “stand their ground” and shoot at people who they believe are threatening them, without having any duty to first retreat.

Photo: FL Senate

Sen. Chris Smith (far left), Sen. Oscar Braynon (left), Sen. Arthenia Joyner (far right)

With the Trayvon Martin shooting getting national attention, that law was being debated all over again this week. The Florida Legislature‘s black caucus is considering several responses, from pushing for a repeal of the law, to a call for statewide hearings on the issue.

Sen. Arthenia Joyner (D-18/Tampa) said that Sen. Chris Smith (D-29/West Palm Beach) – who is the Senate Democratic Leader-designate – will file legislation “to tamp it down so the least incident doesn’t lead one to believe that they’ve got to pull their gun and shoot somebody … We really need to take a second look at this law.”

Sen. Oscar Braynon (D-33/Miami Gardens) who represents the area where Martin’s mother lives, also called for a new look at the law.

But former state Sen. Durell Peaden, the Panhandle Republican who sponsored the 2005 legislation, scoffed at the notion that it was even applicable in this case.

“This guy chasing someone down and shooting him – that has nothing to do with this law,” Peaden said. “It’s somebody trying to forestall arrest.”

Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-24/Ocala) who sponsored the stand-your-ground law in the House, also said it wasn’t intended for cases involving pursuit.

“Nothing in that statute authorizes people to pursue and confront people,” Baxley said. “That’s the problem in this case.”

Baxley said the law covers home invasion, carjacking, and cases of clear self-protection.

Photo: FL House

Some said the measure was essentially an expansion of the “Castle Doctrine,” which holds that a person’s home is their castle and they have a right to defend it. Under the law now, the castle also could include a car, or someone’s personal space, if they’re legitimately threatened.

“If you’re anywhere you have a right to be and you’re under attack, you have the authority to meet force with force and defend yourself,” said Baxley.

Former state Sen. Steven Geller, however, recalled his prediction in the 2005 debate over the law, when he warned it laid the groundwork for unjustifiable homicide.

“We never intended that the public street is supposed to be your castle,” he said. “We never intended that you could create a situation and then claim you were scared.”

Baxley said it’s important to look at the big picture.

“The fact is, under this statute, we’ve seen a tremendous reduction in violent crime,” he said. “When you empower people to stop bad things from happening, they will. And they do. And that’s what the bill did.”

In light of the Trayvon Martin shooting, Braynon is calling for hearings and a study of how the law has been implemented and applied.

“This law was never intended to be a blanket of protection for community vigilantes who think they can bypass law enforcement instructions and shoot anyone they see fit,” Braynon said in a statement.

Photo: Gov.'s Office

Gov. Scott has been criticized for his handling of the Trayvon Martin situation

“We know that racial profiling exists … It shouldn’t be that, if you feel intimidated by someone, you can pull a gun and shoot them? That’s not the kind of law we need,” he said.

While Scott said there’s still information to be gathered, he didn’t dismiss the idea that the self defense law may need another look.

“And once we finish this investigation, if there’s something that we need to adjust, I’m hopeful that the Legislature would be interested in taking that up,” Scott told reporters.

Joyner, meanwhile, criticized Scott for waiting until Mar. 19 to ask FDLE to help investigate the Feb. 26 death.

“The Governor should have been leading the charge, and not waiting to be driven by the people and by the Department of Justice,” said Joyner.

Also Tuesday, about 50 protestors showed up at Scott’s office at the Capitol, demanding “Justice for Trayvon.” Scott met with them, but said he doesn’t want to create a racial profiling task force, as they requested – at least while the investigation is active.

“None of us believe in racial profiling,” Scott said. “But I think the first thing is: let’s find out what happened.”

Peaden said he hopes the FDLE and FBI “and whatever special prosecutor the governor puts on this thing will do what needs to be done instead of everybody standing around wringing their hands.

“Put the guy in jail. It sounds like he shot a guy who was innocent. That has nothing to do with this law.”

By: Margie Menzel/The News Service of Florida. Additional reporting by Mark Christopher

Lead image: Trayvon Martin’s family

Trayvon Martin

[Tallahassee, FL] Months after lawmakers approved a measure to overrule cities and counties with get-tough Florida gun laws, a Palm Beach County lawmaker on Tuesday introduced a bill to begin restoring some limits on where residents can carry guns.

Saying she hopes to at least generate debate, State Rep. Lori Berman, (D-86/Delray Beach) filed a proposal to bar hand guns from childcare care centers and government buildings.

Lawmakers earlier this year passed HB 45, which prevents counties and municipalities from enacting gun ordinances stricter than the state. The bill prompted many cities to repeal a host of laws or face fines.

Berman said it has led to a wholesale abolition of local gun ordinances that has caused ‘a gaping hole” she contends was unintended by state lawmakers.

The bill would prevent the carrying of concealed weapons in most county, city and school buildings. State Sen. Maria Sachs (D-30/Boca Raton) is expected to file a Senate version.

Berman said she filed the bill after consulting with Palm Beach County officials, who were forced to rescind a number of local gun restrictions following the bill’s passage earlier this year.

Local officials included county commissioners Shelley Vana and Burt Aaronson, Tax Collector Anne Gannon, and West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio.

“We must protect our children when parents enroll them in a childcare facility,” Aaronson said in a statement. “Guns do not belong there. We must protect the people who visit their local government offices.”

Photo: YouTube video

State Sen. Maria Sachs (D-30/Boca Raton)

Backers of last year’s bill defended it as a simple requirement – that Florida gun laws should trump local law. In several instances, local governments have enacted differing laws, which was confusing to gun owners and also simply bad policy.

It also allowed areas where local leaders disagreed with the “law of the land” in the state to skirt the law, backers said.

“The only thing this bill punishes is arrogance,” State Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-4/Fort Walton Beach) and the bill’s sponsor, said during debate over the issue.

Lawmakers last session passed two measures pushed by gun rights activists. Along with HB 45, they passed another measure (HB 155) that limits a doctor’s ability to ask questions about gun ownership.

House Democrats slammed the measures for favoring the rights of gun owners over a doctor’s interest in protecting patients – particularly children – and the rights of counties and cities to pass ordinances to protect the safety of their residents.

HB 155 limits a doctor from asking a patient about gun ownership if it’s not relevant to the patient’s care, and prevents the doctor from noting gun ownership in a patient’s medical file unless the information is pertinent to the patient’s safety or the safety of others.

That measure has prompted a lawsuit. In June, a group of physicians filed suit in a Miami federal court to nullify a controversial measure. In September, U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke barred enforcement of the ban while the lawsuit winds its way through the court.

Never dull, Florida gun laws continue to be a source of legislative controversy and courtroom drama.

By: Michael Peltier/The News Source of Florida

Lead image: M Glasgow/Flickr

Florida gun laws

[Miami, FL] The Justice Department’s investigation into price fixing in the air transportation industry continues to show results. So far, 22 airlines and 21 executives have been charged, resulting in four executives being sentenced to prison and more than $1.8 billion in fines being levied in the ongoing efforts to reign in the illegal activity.

On Friday, Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announced that two executives of Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International S.A. plead guilty and agreed to jail time and fines for their roles in price fixing schemes.

Using scheduled international flights, air cargo carriers transport items such as perishable commodities, heavy equipment and consumer goods.

Both Ulrich Ogiermann, the company’s former president and CEO, and Robert Van de Weg, Cargolux’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, plead guilty to conspiring with others to fix cargo rates for international air shipments. Both men will serve 13 months in prison and each pay a $20,000 fine.

Ogiermann suppressed and eliminate competition by fixing and coordinating security and fuel surcharges for air cargo shipments to and from the United States from Oct. 2001 until Feb. 2006. Van de Weg’s similarly illegal activity started in Dec. 2003 and ran until Feb. 2006.

The indictment had been filed on Oct. 28, 2010, in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach.

That announcement came on the heels of another announcement late last month from Ferrer’s office involving a former executive of a Peruvian airline. In that case, George Gonzalez, former chief commercial officer of Peruvian air cargo carrier Cielos Airlines, plead guilty to a single count of price fixing cargo shipments.

Gonzalez was charged in Miami last year for agreeing to increase fuel surcharges on air cargo shipped from the U.S. to locations in South and Central America in an effort to suppress competition in 2005.

And back in September of this year, two airline executives of Miami-based companies – former Arrow Air president Guillermo “Willy” Cabeza and former South Winds Cargo president Luis Juan Soto – pleaded guilty to price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act and are awaiting sentencing.

Arrow Air ceased operations on June 29, 2010, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1, 2010. It plans to liquidate.

Gonzalez, Cabeza and Soto have each agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department and pay a fine.

Participating in the ongoing investigations: the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the FBI and the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.

The Justice Dept. requests that “anyone with information concerning price fixing or other anticompetitive conduct in the air transportation industry” is urged to call 202-307-6694, visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm or dial the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office at 404-679-9000.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: Cargolux

price fixing

[Palm Beach, FL] One of Palm Beach County’s baddest boys will never again breathe free air after being handed down a monstrous sentence befitting his lengthy list of crimes.

Ramon Rosario, 19 of Lake Worth, was sentenced to 270 years for racketeering, conspiracy, three home invasions with a firearm, aggravated assault on a police officer with a firearm, auto theft, shooting a gun in public, possession of a firearm by a felon and kidnapping.

The extraordinary sentence was announced last week by Michael F. McAuliffe, State Attorney for Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.

Rosario – known on the street as “Whiteboy” – was part of the “Head Shot Committee,” a ruthless criminal enterprise which specialized in home invasions, robberies, kidnappings and other violent acts in the northern end of Palm Beach County during parts of 2010.

The Head Shot Committee’s final act was an exchange of  gunfire with a Boca Raton police officer during a home invasion robbery attempt.

Rosario pled guilty to the charges in December of 2010. Other Committee members are set to go to trial.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Related reading:

Ramon Rosario, Member of the “Head Shot Committee,” Gets 270 Years Up the River Ramon Rosario, a 19-year-old member of a racketeering enterprise known as the “Head Shot Committee,” was sentenced yesterday to 270 years in prison for what the State Attorney’s Office calls a string of crimes that “terrorized the …

Teen sentenced to 270 years in prison Ramon Rosario, 19, was part of a group of men who allegedly called themselves the “headshot committee,” who terrorized people in their homes during violent home invasions, reports The Palm Beach Post. …

Lake Worth teen sentenced to 270 years in prison for violent home invasion … Ramon Rosario, 19, was sentenced on 15 counts that included charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, home invasion robbery with a firearm, kidnapping with a firearm and conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery with a firearm. …

Lake Worth teen sentenced in Palm Beach County crime spree Ramon Rosario, 19, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to racketeering, home-invasion robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, among other charges, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office said. …

[Plantation, FL] In a bizarre twist worthy of an episode of CSI, a well-known artist has been arrested and charged with allegedly stealing someone’s identity and using that name to rise to international acclaim in the art world.

Celebrated modernist artist Jose Luis Alvarez – who has had his works hung in the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, at Art Basel in Miami Beach and at shows in San Francisco as well as New York – is, according to authorities and media sources, not actually Jose Luis Alvarez.

The artist formerly known as Jose Luis Alvarez is now classified as “FNU LNU” – the law enforcement acronym for “first name unknown, last name unknown.”

OMG.

Apparently, FNU LNU – as he will now be referred to until all of this can be sorted out – stole a a New York man’s date of birth and Social Security number more than 20 years ago and has been using it ever since.

FNU LNU, purportedly 43, initially claimed to have been born in Venezuela, then … New York, according to court records. He was arrested on a charge of supplying false information to obtain a United States passport. That very serious crime is worth up to 10 years in prison.

As Jose Luis Alvarez, FNU LNU earned an international reputation worthy of the finest of modern artists, with colorful paintings that intrigued many in the art community. But he also has a past more colorful than his well-respected art.

The Amazing Randi

Back in 1988, the Amazing Randi called out FNU LNU for faking it as a “channeler” of the spirit “Carlos” in a famous “sting operation” that played out on Australian TV. But at least then it was a hoax, with FNU LNU playing the part of the fraudulent man with a “gift” and Randi, well, being Randi.

For those not in the know, the Amazing Randi was a professional magician and debunker of frauds. He was seemingly able to spot fake channelers, clairvoyants and the like, which is not really that big of a deal when you think about it since they are all fakes in the first place.

So basically he was a fraud who debunked frauds. Nice work if you can get it.

That didn’t stop audiences from clamoring for the Randi-led performance art act, including such luminaries as Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, who were drawn into Randi’s mysterious world.

Adding to the plot is that authorities believe that the Amazing Randi has been Alvarez’ partner for a decade and put on the Carlos and Randi show for 15 years. They currently share a home in Plantation. Yep.

How will all this play out? Inquiring minds want to know.

By: Michael Tristani II/Sunshine Slate

[West Palm Beach, FL] I can see jail in their future. A family of fortune tellers and spiritual advisers faces the wrath of federal prosecutors for their role in bilking more than a dozen “customers” out of $40 million. The spiritual scam has been going on since 1991.

Operating out of Florida, New York and New Jersey, nine self-proclaimed clairvoyants and psychics were indicted last week and marched into a West Palm Beach federal court room on 61 charges, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The tenth figure in this conspiracy – the one non-psychic in the bunch – acted as the family’s accountant and money launderer.

Each count carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and requires the defendants to pay restitution to the victims, if convicted.

Those arrested at the conclusion of “Operation Crystal Ball” include Rose Marks, 60, Nancy Marks, 42, Ricky Marks, 39, and Donnie Eli, 38, all residents of Fort Lauderdale and New York. Also on the list, Fort Lauderdale residents Cynthia Miller, 33, Rosie Marks, 36, Vivian Marks, 21, and Michael Marks, 33; Victoria Eli, 65, of Fort Lauderdale and Secaucus, New Jersey; and Peter Wolofsky, 84, of Boca Raton.

All have been arrested except for Victoria Eli, who is still at large.

The fortune-telling family had their victims believing that they could lift evil spirits or curses from their lives, or from the lives of their loved ones. To execute the scheme, the defendants used “magic tricks” and supernatural lies to scare their victims into handing over cash and jewelry.

Preying upon the victim’s perceived weaknesses, the scam artists told their victims that they would “suffer terrible consequences, including diseases, hauntings, and financial hardships, unless they turned over their money and valuables for “cleansing” by the defendants,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida release.

Rose Marks, also known as Joyce Michael, was the apparent star of the crime family, whose reach extended beyond Florida to franchises in New York and New Jersey. Marks claimed to be gifted by God and to have helped executives from Fortune 500 companies, movie stars and other worldly big wigs using her powers of “intuition” that went beyond the five normal senses.

Among her weapons of thievery: tarot card readings, palm readings, astrology readings, spiritual readings and numerology readings. She also convinced her victims that she had a hot line to Michael the Archangel, who could help them with their troubles such as curing disease, removing a curse, chasing away evil spirits and cleansing the body and mind.

But all they had to do was give Marks huge sums of cash and shiny valuables for her to hold until the bad things went away. Instead she kept the loot and lived the life of luxury.

The rest of the family ran similar scams using varying story lines and scare tactics.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the largest single victim is Jude Gilliam Montassir, a best-selling author who writes under the name Jude Deveraux. She was bilked out of approximately $20 million.

In 1998, Rose Marks (as Joyce Michael) was taken to court for allegedly leeching $125,054 from a Canadian businesswoman’s bank account using the same techniques.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

[Tallahassee, FL]Yesterday, the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi press-released that a notorious “Top 6″ gang leader has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for terrorizing West Palm Beach residents.

For the crimes of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and others, Futo Charles, 30, was sentenced to 65 years behind bars.

“We have successfully prosecuted this criminal and kept a dangerous gang member off our streets,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “I am grateful to state, federal and local law enforcement for their hard work investigating and detaining this violent gang.”

The sentence is the end of a long legal journey that began in 2007. It was the first such indictment issued by the Statewide Grand Jury on Gangs in December 2007. To date, two other Top 6 members have already been convicted – also of racketeering – and sentenced to 25 years in state prison.

According to the press release, the Top 6 gang has been linked to 14 homicides and 150 shootings in the past few years, mostly in Palm Beach County. Through the years-long trial process, Charles has always maintained that Top 6 was a rap group.

Now he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Charles’ influence is still being felt on the streets however, as a witness set to appear at his trial was found shot to death before he could testify.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

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