Watchdog Report Vol. 15 No. 24 October 5, 2014 EST.05 .05.00 – I go when you cannot Celebrating 15 years

>>> The Watchdog Report publisher would like to thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org for funding by the Knight Foundation with technical support from the Knight Center www.knightfoundation.org to maintain my webpage. The Watchdog Report webpage is free, has no pops-up and is just the news in a mainstream reporting manner.

>>> May you and your family have a safe and reflective Yom Kippur- A Day of Atonement

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>>> U.S. Sen. Nelson says Import Export Bank critical to Miami, Greater Miami Chamber needs to have “Prayer session” with Congress to break legislative logjam

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Told the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that when he was a payload specialist on the Space Shuttle the earth from space looked serene since there were no ethinic divisions and demographic tensions he said from space and he noted “We are all in this together” when it came to the planet and issues the world faces such as Climate Change. The Senator first elected to office in 2000 is the highest ranking Democrat in Florida and he was born at the old Victoria hospital in Little Havana and he reminisced about living in Miami decades ago and when it came to the iconic Orange Bowl Parade, he once participated in the parade at age six as a “Latin Dancer,” he told the packed luncheon crowd that included a host of service personal from enlisted members to senior military brass attending to hear the Senior Senator from Florida’s comments.

What about the Import Export Bank?

Nelson told Chamber members that they should hold a “prayer session” with Congress members since the Import Export Bank it is being stymied by the body and it helps finance businesses in other nations and helps with the nation’s trade deficit and business in general. Editor’s Note: I will complete this story next week.

Nelson

>>>>Web page announcement: The Knight Foundation is looking for big ideas on how to make communities better and for more on the program go to Knight Cities Challenge 2014-15 Initial Application – Hide Guidelines Ends on 11/14/2014 what’s your best idea to make cities more successful? The Knight Cities Challenge seeks new ideas from innovators – activists, designers, artists, planning professionals, hackers, architects, city officials, companies, educators, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, block captains, social workers, and neighbors, anyone – who will take hold of the future of our cities. From a pool of $5 million we’re awarding grants at the city, neighborhood and block levels – and all sizes in between. No project is too small – so long as the idea is big. We are looking for fresh ideas that focus on one or more of these three key drivers of city success: attracting and retaining talented people, expanding economic opportunity, and creating a culture of civic engagement.

The rules are simple: A submission may come from anywhere but the project must take place in or benefit one or more of 26 Knight Communities. Your idea should focus on one or all of three key drivers of city success: attracting and retaining talent, expanding economic opportunity, and creating a culture of civic engagement. Apply today! Read more at the Knight Cities Challenge homepage and in the FAQ. If you would like to submit a proposal for the Knight Cities Challenge please review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Submit

>> Press release: Zogby Report Card: Ebola, elections undercut Obama, Democrats

By: John Zogby Forbes.com Contributor

Pollster John Zogby reports in our weekly White House report card that President Obama had a “terrible week” as news events and politics overtook his administration.

“The ‘It can’t happen here’ scenario has happened. There is an Ebola virus patient in the United States. Not quite a panic but scary, nonetheless. Please click on the link below to view the full release: http://zogbyanalytics.com/news/501-zogby-report-card-ebola-elections-undercut-obama-democrats

>>>  Mike Fernandez, the low key Coral Gables civic leader, philanthropist,  and healthcare billionaire who is suggesting having a iconic Flag of Gratitude and a U.S. Army veteran made a presentation at the Chamber luncheon Wednesday along with a moving video, especially since the room was filled with South Florida military personnel from all the different branches of services. Editor’s note I will complete this story next week.

>>> From Fernandez’s webpage: It is astonishing how much ugliness my simple idea detailed in the Aug. 7 article in The Miami Herald, Billionaire pitches proposal for massive flag over Miami, has gererated.

By ugliness I do not refer to the disagreement with an idea or a position, rather I mean hurtful ugliness to my offer to pay for the design, building and installation of what some called my “monstrous idea,” A Flag of Gratitude, in downtown Miami. It would be on a 450-foot-high flagpole, located behind American Airlines Arena and would cost between $5 – $10 million.

Those who disagree have every right to do so. Maybe some misunderstood my motives. Maybe I didn’t explain well enough why I’m such a grateful citizen of our great country. So, let me explain.

Personally, I take very little for granted. Even simple things like our ability to turn on a faucet and expect water to flow from it, most people on earth do not have this benefit. Many born under our form of government take what we have for granted and simply do not understand how those of us who came from elsewhere cannot take that for granted. I don’t think our country is perfect, but is there a better form of government, a more generous people anywhere in the world? The Flag of Gratitude that I would hope our city would support isn’t for me, born in Cuba, but on behalf of all who have been embraced by our great nation. I wish to say thank you on behalf of the Irish, English, Chileans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Italians, Romanians, Nigerians, South Africans, Mexicans, Venezuelans, Germans and, yes, the Pilgrims who preceded us. All these, and more, came looking for a better place, for freedom. I want to show our gratitude to these great United States from all its adopted sons and daughter. All of us.

A few who wrote suggested I should take my Cuban “back end” and build a flag there. Sir, this is my home, this is my country and I am not going back. Very similar to your ancestors who chose to stay, I, too, will stay.A few called me an ungrateful egomaniac. Know that it was never my intention to ask for my name to be on this. Others told me my proposal was callous, and that any such dollars ought to go to health services, inner-city education, supporting those less fortunate. In fact, I have done all of these things, too.

This is my community, and this is my country, and I want to say, thank you. This country gave me opportunity, and no guaranteed results. That is the opportunity for all of us.I don’t know if this Flag of Gratitude will be built in Miami. Let me simply say to my country, our country: We are grateful to be your adopted sons and daughters. For more go to www.flagofgratitude.com Michael B. Fernandez, Coral Gables

>>> M-DC Commission honors WPLG Cannel 10 for creating new Park, Commissioner Monestime does the honors

The Miami-Dade County Commission honored WPLG Channel 10 Reporter Glena Milberg and others from the station for their work in creating a park in a much needed area of the county and Commissioner Jean Monestime did the honors in the commission chambers and the local community is ecstatic with the new Gratigny Plateau Park. Milberg is a veteran county hall reporter and during the ceremonies she bravely stood in the well with the county commissioners many times the subject of a critical story and she has been known to take no prisoners in some award winning stories.

MIlberg

FLORIDA

>>> Scott campaign Attack ads keep hitting Crist, but is MO shifting to former gov. with voters?

The race for governor has tightened up with just a few percentage points separating the candidate’s Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist now running as a Democrat after Crist early on had an early lead in the polls around the state but a barrage of negative campaign ads have taken their toll on Crist and a third

Party candidate running as a Libertarian Adrian Wyllie has bled off some of the undecided and independent voter’s key to a Crist victory on Nov. 2 after being hammered by negative ads by the Scott campaign. However, Crist  is only getting lukewarm support in Broward County which is rich in Democratic voters and while Democrats hate Scott they have mixed feelings about Crist who only turned Democrat after being a former Jeb Bush and Ronald Reagan Republican and Crist is embracing the President Barack Obama administration but Scott is expected to spend some $100 million to Crist’s roughly $50 million on campaign ads and neither candidate has articulated what they will do if they were elected and the campaigns are focused on negative campaigns and trashing the other candidate as untrustworthy and up for sale, yet there is no evidence that Crist sold judgeships when he was in office in the past in reference to the Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein. And with the statewide polls tightening up the Scott campaign is feeling optimistic about the race and its theme of jobs and the Florida economy doing better than when Crist was in office. And Helen Ferre interviewed Wyllie on WPBT 2 Issues this past week http://video.wpbt2.org/programs/ and for more on the governor’s race go tohttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article2225931.html And both Crist and Scott will be debating Oct 15 on WFOR CBS 4 and this debate should help some undecided voters make up their minds.

Crist

Scott

Wyllie

On the well-being of our children. Visit The Children’s Movement website to read their stories and share your own. >>> I find it unacceptable, as all of us should, that at least a half-million children in Florida – all citizens — have no health insurance. How could this be in our beloved country that seeks to be a beacon to the world? Health insurance for all children is one of the five major planks of The Children’s Movement. With the support of Florida Covering Kids and Families, The Children’s Movement is working with dozens of local partners to help build a meaningful signing-up initiative in more than a dozen Florida communities. Already we have: Completed 18 KidCare trainings around the state. Signed up, trained and deployed more than a hundred volunteers. Begun to build a growing collaboration between local school districts and KidCare outreach coalitions. It’s a good start, but only the start. If you’d like to become a volunteer, just click here. Another way to help is to make a contribution – of any size – to help support this work. It is easy. Just click here. A real movement isn’t possible without your helping in some meaningful way. Dave Lawrence, Jr., Chair The Children’s Movement. >>> Update: Two encouraging meetings… The first, a visit from the Governor to the Rainbow Intergenerational Child Care center in Little Havana where he discussed his early learning priorities. That includes his support for “Help Me Grow,” a statewide parent resource system where parents would be able — via phone and online — to get answers to questions about their child’s development and connected with the proper resources. The second, a meeting with future House Speaker, Rep. Jose Oliva from Hialeah. He’s a father of three, a real reader of history and student of policy, and committed to better understanding early learning. Dave Lawrence, Chair The Children’s Movement.

>>> House Dist. 112 race getting ugly with endless attack campaign pieces in the voters mailboxes

State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami is being challenged by GOP candidate Daniel Diaz Leyva in a tough fought race that has the candidates going after each other and in many attack campaign flyers by both men who are attorneys and House Dist. 112 is a swing district and Diaz Leyva is getting support from long serving GOP Congress woman Ileana Ros Lehtinen, R-Miami and former Congressman Adam Putnam in the state House race. Rodriguez won the House seat when he defeated Alex Diaz de La Portilla in 2012 when he got 54 percent of the vote over the former state senator, but there was significant controversy with DLP that is not the case in this current race and insiders consider the race a toss-up and will depend on Democratic Party voter’s turnout.

Rodriguez

Diaz Leyva

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

>>> BCC Commissioner Suarez missing the spotlight, floats he is thinking of running for county mayor against Mayor Gimenez, but does public believe the man is stable enough?

County Commissioner Xavier Suarez is causing a stir suggesting he is considering running for County mayor in 2016 and challenging Mayor Carlos Gimenez in his bid for reelection and Suarez since being elected commissioner of District7 has been snipping at Gimenez from the dais but the attorney a former Mayor of Miami comes off as very self-absorbed and does not like to work hard in his commission duties. Further he is the second son of 14 children and that may explain why he is so needy of adulation and attention after years of being in that political wilderness after he was removed from office in 1997 after a judge ruled a past race was tainted by ballot fraud though Suarez was never charged but during this time he earned the nickname “Mayor Loco” and his son now a Miami Commissioner helped the father get back into the political world and the son also has some of the same personality traits as the father but he also had  setback when he considered running as Miami Mayor but after some scandals and missteps ended that campaign. http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/10/xavier-suarez-eyeing-a-challenge-to-miami-dade-mayor-carlos-gimenez.html

Suarez

Gimenez

What about the swearing in of new Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava on Nov. 18^th ?

The newly elected commissioner Daniella Levine Cava asked Commission Chair Rebeca Sosa last week if she could change the date for her swearing in ceremony (to Nov. 18) and when the commission votes on its new chair to Nov. 24 and the body agreed to the date change and while a motion was her first victory on the 13 member commission.

Further, Levine Cava elected to the District 8 seat on the dais has been having Sunshine Meetings with her fellow commissioners to hear their views on a variety of matters and is showing she is doing her homework prior to sitting on the body after she defeated incumbent Commissioner Lynda Bell in a tough well financed commission race, that also had the support of Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Gimenez

Levine Cava

MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

>>>> Pressure on Friends of WLRN Ends in Ceo Kendall getting the heave ho

Friends of WLRN the fundraising arm of the public station WLRN has fired Victor Kendall last September, the CEO of Friends and no reason was given though the organization was under the lens of the school board and Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman had asked for a report every 90 days on the stations finances and fund raising after it was disclosed some staff members were receiving high salaries. http://www.current.org/2014/09/friends-group-of-miamis-wlrn-fires-ceo-victor-kendall/

>>>> FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY TO HONOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DR. DOROTHY BENDROSS-MINDINGALL BY FOR HER SERVICE TO CHILDREN

Press release: Miami-Dade School Board Member, Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall will be honored as a recipient of the Women Who Lift Their Voices through Leadership, Character and Service Award, by Florida Memorial University.  The award will be presented during the University’s Presidential Inaugural Scholarship Gala to be held on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Miami. The award acknowledges Dr. Bendross-Mindingall’s continued commitment and dedication to improving the lives of children and families. Dr. Bendross-Mindingall has been a School Board member since 2010, and previously served as a Florida State Representative for District 109 (2000-2008).

Department of Justice Announces $63 Million to Support School Safety Research and Reduce Gun Violence

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, the Attorney General and the Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice (NIJ), today announced it has awarded nearly $63 million to school districts and research organizations through the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI).  CSSI is a large-scale, multi-agency research effort to build knowledge about effective approaches to increasing school safety nationwide.  Through the Initiative, 24 research projects receive funding under two different solicitations. The first, “Investigator-Initiated Research,” includes nine awards to research organizations totaling more than $18 million. The second, “Developing Knowledge about What Works to Make Schools Safe,” provides more than $45 million to 15 school districts and their research partners.

The School Board of Miami-Dade will receive $4,273,799, for its Evaluating Campus Shield program, and the School District of Palm Beach County will receive $3,909,116, for its School Safety and Student Performance Partnership.

“This funding is being awarded as part of the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative – a large-scale, multi-agency research effort to build practical, and scientifically-sound, knowledge about effective ways to increase school safety nationwide,” said Attorney General Holder.  “It will enable us to examine and implement additional actions to make schools safer.  And it will yield new insights and evidence about what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to school discipline, violence and bullying reduction, school resource officers, mental health professionals, and justice interventions like youth courts.”President Obama’s January 2013 plan to end gun violence emphasized keeping guns out of potentially dangerous hands and recognized that additional actions are needed to make our schools safer. CSSI was launched in early 2014 in response to a Congressional request for a broad, research-based effort to increase safety in the nation’s schools. U.S. Attorney Ferrer stated “The sole focus of children should be on learning, not whether or not their school is safe.  I commend the Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County schools for their commitment to examining, and ultimately implementing, the best methodology to keep our community’s children safe and focused on their education.” “We know a great deal about how to make schools safe in general but very little about the specifics for various settings and populations,” said Dr. William J. Sabol, Acting Director of NIJ. “With this $63 million investment, the nation will gain an understanding of school safety that is scientifically sound, practical, and that can be easily interpreted and used by schools.” The initiative has three primary goals: to collect national-level data; to convene stakeholders to identify and share best practices; and to conduct innovative research and evaluate pilot projects in school districts. The programs and policies within CSSI are designed to produce evidence about what works in such areas of school safety as effectiveness of school resource officers and mental health professionals, violence and bullying reduction, and effectiveness of such restorative justice interventions as youth courts. The initiative will also examine potential unintended consequences of school safety efforts, including the excessive use of exclusionary discipline and arrests of students.

Although NIJ has primary responsibility for CSSI, the program is a collaborative effort among more than 20 federal partners, including the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and the Treasury. This partnership will allow the federal government to make a significant impact on school safety by investing limited funds in research that has practical applications for every school in the nation. By determining what interventions work best for specific schools and students, CSSI will provide professionals with a body of knowledge to help them make decisions about which programs will be most effective — and most cost effective — for their particular schools and their challenges. A list of the awards can be viewed http://nij.gov/topics/crime/school-crime/documents/comprehensive-school-safety-initiative-awards-fy-2014.pdf?utm_source=feature&utm_medium=nijgov-home&utm_campaign=CSSI-awards and more information about CSSI is available at www.nij.gov, keywords: “School Safety.” The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> 3^rd Consecutive year of surplus, has Jackson Health System CEO Migoya saying if said in the past “people would have assumed we were all crazy,” he tells Trust board after major concessions from union employees over the years

PHT President and CEO Carlos Migoya said at this month’s televised board meeting that the Trust is closing its third consecutive year in the  row in the black and had we said this would happen years ago “people would have assumed we were all crazy.” Said Migoya regarding the turnaround of the Trust that hemorrhaged millions in the red for years. Migoya noted that a major tactical marketing initiative was paying off and that there were, “30 deliveries at the hospital” which had in the past done many less in such a time frame but was now being promoted by the health system.

>>> $830 million Bond oversight council will interview all 13 applicants but no architects applied to be on the board a critical opening given the magnitude of the infrastructure JHS needs to be competitive with over community hospitals

PAST WDR: The PHT Nominating Council reviewing the 13 applicants that applied to be on the oversight board of how the new $830 million in GOB bond money will be spent met on Tuesday and the members discussed the qualifications of the applicants that were to have certain skill sets such as being an engineer, a CPA, experience in real estate development, emergency medical services and a professional architect. The Council decided to have a “Meet and greet” with the applicants on Oct 8^th but the fact that no architect applied was of concern given the massive infrastructure planned at the main campus of the County public hospital and Commissioner Audrey Edmonson thought no applicants of that profession applied because they wanted “the work,” she suggested and that slot will be left open for one year, since these skill sets are significant to have on any new oversight board and it was hoped the mayor’s appointment to the board might be someone with such skills, but it also highlights the fact that the public and top notch people are tired of applying to these board’s when the commission then rejects the Councils nomination and advice such as when first rated candidate Peter Bermont was rejected by the county commission months ago and that rejection has sent a chilling affect through the community for the man was highly regarded and is well respected in the community but commissioners disregarded the council’s recommendation and he was not appointed and it raises the question why does the Council exist and spend so much time interviewing the prospective candidates when their recommendations are ignored by County Commissioners and it reminds the Watchdog Report that to many cooks in the kitchen results in a bad meal given all the processes that are being followed. And during the discussion PHT Council discussion the Trust’s vice Chair Joe Arriola endlessly quipped and made some questionable comments and he seems to consider himself the board’s class clown and no one is able to reign in his sometimes off color comments during these meetings since they appear to be afraid of the man who is rich and a former Miami manager who does not care what others think of him and he also has a certain disdain for education since he is only a high school graduate and believes on the Trust board “ there are enough attorney’s” and these candidates should not be considered for the oversight board but the lack of an architect applying is a big deal for the Trust only gets one shot regarding how this public money is spent and Jackson Health System(JHS) when it comes to infrastructure is competing with other community hospitals such as Mt. Sinai and Baptist Health South Florida that have much nicer facilities and diagnostic medical equipment and while Baptist facilities are being used the most by county employees (that fact came up at a commission meeting where the health program was being discussed last week), these people with insurance need to be attracted to JHS and why the effective use of this public money is so important for it has  to be done right for there is no more public money after this bond money is spent. And how much the county is hoping to save with the new program is $50 million and JHS is a critical component to those savings in this new select plan and for more go to:   http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article2249474.html

CITY OF MIAMI

>>> Miami-Dade County Resident Sentenced for Identity Theft Schemes Involving Fraudulent Social Security Benefits and Income Tax Refunds

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Thomas Caul, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Donnell Young, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that Thervil Alcinor, 34, of Miami, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga to 88 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Alcinor previously pled guilty to one count of access device fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(2), and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A.

According to court documents, from January 2013 through May 2014, Alcinor was involved in the use of personal identifying information (names, dates of birth, and social security numbers belonging to real people) to file fraudulent applications for Social Security Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) and Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB), and to file fraudulent income tax returns with the IRS claiming false refunds.

Court documents state that Alcinor was involved in establishing online accounts on the Social Security Administration website, MySSA.gov, for already-existing RIB or DIB beneficiaries to redirect RIB and DIB payments to accounts (often prepaid debit card accounts) controlled by him. Law enforcement identified 945 fraudulently established MySSA accounts, all with similarly concocted fraudulent email addresses. The fraudulent claims resulted in $700,462 in fraudulent RIB and DIB payments.

According to court documents, Alcinor was also involved in the filing of fraudulent tax returns claiming refunds from the IRS which he directed into accounts (often prepaid debit card accounts) controlled by him. Specifically from April 2012 through September 2013, 54 fraudulent income tax refunds, totaling $174,862.20, were identified by H&R Block records as having been deposited into accounts associated with Alcinor. An additional 14 fraudulent tax refunds, totaling $31,137.28, were connected to the scheme by IRS.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of SSA-OIG, IRS-CI and FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank R. Maderal. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

>>> Sen Nelson bringing colleagues to see King Tides effect on tourist town and effects of Climate Change

U.S. Sen Bill Nelson will be bringing some senators from around the nation to see what happens on the Beach when it comes to the King Tides expected this Thursday and the need to address Climate Change and will also affect Ft Lauderdale which gets flooded during such events and in the case of the Beach there are 60 new pumps that have been installed at millions of dollars but it is unknown if these will be enough to stop the flooding that causes chaos for residents.

CITY OF CORAL GABLES

>>> Community Meetings To Discuss Passive Parks Have Been Rescheduled

The two community meetings previously scheduled for this Saturday, October 4 from 10-11 a.m. to review conceptual designs for two passive parks have been rescheduled. The meetings to discuss plans for the passive parks on 4650 Alhambra Circle and on 5028 Maggiore Street will now be held at the War Memorial Youth Center’s Theater, 405 University Drive, on the following dates:

• Monday October 20, 2014 at 6:00 pm for Alhambra Circle Park;
• Thursday, October 23, 2014 at 6:00 pm for Maggiore Park.

Representatives from the City’s Public Works Department will be present to discuss the plans and receive input from residents. For more information, contact Julia Abrahan at 305-460-5059.

BROWARD COUNTY

>>> Stuart Rosenfeldt Sentenced in Connection with Rothstein Case

Press release: Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announce that Stuart Rosenfeldt, 59, of Boca Raton, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Marcia G. Cooke to 33 months imprisonment, to be followed by two years’ supervised release in connection with his conviction for conspiracy to commit campaign finance fraud, to defraud the United States, to commit bank fraud and to deny civil rights, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.  Rosenfeldt was an attorney admitted to practice law in Florida and was an equity partner in the former Ft. Lauderdale law firm of Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler, P.A. (RRA).

During his June 11, 2014 guilty plea, the defendant admitted that, in order to circumvent campaign finance laws setting limitations on the amounts which donors can contribute, Rothstein enlisted some of the attorneys and administrative personnel of RRA, and other persons associated with RRA, including Rosenfeldt, to make political contributions to various political campaigns which were unlawfully reimbursed to them by RRA.  Rosenfeldt also participated in a scheme to float checks between and among certain bank accounts maintained by RRA in a form of bank fraud commonly known as “check kiting.” Additionally, Rosenfeldt arranged with Rothstein to have certain law enforcement officers utilize unlawful threats against the boyfriend of an escort who was threatening to expose an illicit relationship which existed between the escort and Rosenfeldt.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and IRS-CI.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio, Paul F. Schwartz, and Jeffrey N. Kaplan.A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

>>>> Leader and Organizer of $49.6 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme Sentenced to 27 Years and Three Months in Prison

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Fred W. Gibson, Principal Deputy Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Regional Office, announce that Domenico “Dom” Rabuffo, 78, of Miami, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge K. Michael Moore for his role as a leader and organizer of a $49.6 million bank fraud and wire scheme, perpetrated from approximately 2003 through 2008.  Domenico Rabuffo was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for his role in the fraud scheme.

On July 3, 2014, Domenico Rabuffo and three co-defendants, Mae Rabuffo, 75, of New York, Raymond E. “Ray” Olivier, 52, of Land O’ Lakes, Florida, and Curtis Allen Davis, 52, of Tampa, were convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud after an 11 day-jury trial before Chief Judge Moore.  Domenico Rabuffo, Olivier, and Davis were also convicted of various bank fraud offenses.

According to the indictment and evidence at trial, from 2003 to 2008, Rabuffo and his co-defendants conspired to perpetrate a complex $49.6 million mortgage fraud scheme against various FDIC-insured lenders, including Bank of America, Regions Bank, SunTrust Bank, and Wachovia Bank.  Rabuffo and his ex-wife Mae Rabuffo used shell companies to acquire ownership and control of a purported residential property development known as Hampton Springs, located in Cashiers, North Carolina.  Then, Rabuffo, Olivier, and Davis recruited numerous straw borrowers to purchase building lots in the development.  Several of the straw borrowers testified at the trial.  According to their testimony and other evidence, Domenico Rabuffo paid the borrowers to obtain lot purchase loans and construction loans for building lots in Hampton Springs.  To obtain the loans, Domenico Rabuffo, Mae Rabuffo, Olivier, Davis, and other conspirators, submitted fraudulent loan applications and related documents to the lenders and the lenders’ closing agents.

Among other things, the loan applications and settlement statements for the lot loans contained fraudulent statements that the borrowers paid earnest money deposits and cash due at the closing.  In fact, the deposits and cash-to-close were paid by Domenico Rabuffo and Mae Rabuffo using proceeds from the fraudulent scheme.  Further, Domenico Rabuffo and Mae Rabuffo sent fraudulent correspondence to the closing agents, including letters bearing the forged signatures of borrowers, to create the false impression that the deposits and cash due at closing had been supplied by the borrowers from their own funds.

Olivier and Davis recruited straw borrowers for the fraud scheme and submitted fraudulent loan applications to the lenders.  Further, Olivier and Davis caused their private companies to be disclosed as the employers of straw borrowers whose actual employment was inconsistent with the inflated income stated on their loan applications.  Then, when they were contacted by the lenders, Olivier and Davis provided fraudulent verifications of employment for those borrowers.

Mae Rabuffo, Davis, and Olivier are scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2014, also before Chief Judge Moore.

Three other defendants, Diane M. Hayduk, 64, of Miami, Victor Miguel Vidal, 49, of Miami, and Lazaro Jesus Perez, 44, of Miami Springs, pled guilty to the charged conspiracy and agreed to assist the United States.  Hayduk assisted Domenico Rabuffo and Mae Rabuffo with the misappropriation of loan proceeds and the transmission of fraudulent correspondence to the lenders and the closing agents.  Vidal served as a loan officer at SunTrust Mortgage, where he sponsored fraudulent loan applications for lots in Hampton Springs, including fraudulent applications for $33 million in construction loans.  Perez furnished fictitious accountant’s letters to Vidal, in support of fraudulent loan applications submitted to SunTrust Mortgage.  Hayduk, Vidal, and Perez were sentenced in September, 2014.  Hayduk was sentenced to 40 months in prison, Vidal was sentenced to 64 months in prison and Perez was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and FDIC-OIG.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dwayne E. Williams and Jerrob Duffy.A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

We are pleased to share with you exciting news! Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse will be the 15th Anniversary Touch a Heart Challenge Grant Sponsors! You’ll be hearing more about the Challenge as we get closer to the big evening. Thank you, Culverhouses, dear friends of Kristi House. Badia Spices and Buddha Mama Jewelry have teamed together to be our Platinum Heart Sponsors for the evening. Thank you to these major and other major sponsors for your generosity: Gold Heart: Swanee & Paul DiMare * Frank Fawzi Silver Heart: Emma & Sia Afra * Katie & Eddy Arriola – Apollo Bank * Zaba & Edgar Castro * Rachelle & A.J. de Moya – The de Moya Group * Lisette & Nelson Diaz * Eller-ITO Stevedoring Company * Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos & George Karavestos * Honorable Anitere Flores & Dustin Anderson * Lauren & John Genovese – Genovese Joblove & Battista, P.A. * Cindy & Jeff Gomez * Greene Kleen of South Florida, Inc. * Marta & Rick Hasty, MD * Jeff Herman – Herman Law * Lourdes Leon-Vega & Otto Vega, MD * Betty Lopez-Castro * Maria & Al Maloof * Judy & George McCleary * Loretta & Miguel Nido * Ed McCluskey -Northwestern Mutual * Honorable Jeanette & Adrian Nuñez * Casey & Dennis Rodriguez * Tatiana & Alex Ruiz * Judy & Juan Trescastro * Royal Caribbean International * Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP * Tutti Bambini * Kara Zeder & Rick Rosen Visit the Dinner website for more details or contact Bianca Fernandez at bfernandez@kristihouse.org or 305-547-6802 >>>The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County And the University of Miami Present the Regional Premiere of A grownup’s prequel to Peter Pan! Five-time Tony Award-winning play by Jersey Boys writer Rick Elice based on the best-selling novel by Miami native Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. For the fourth consecutive season, bridge program offers UM students an opportunity to work alongside theater experts on a professional production at the Arsht Center ”Miraculous! Spectacle, wit, and joy spill out of this production like treasure from a magic pocket.” – New York Magazine Opens the Arsht Center’s 2014-2015 Theater Up Close Season, October 9, 2014 – Preview, October 10, 2014 – Opening Night Through October 26, 2014, Tickets: $45*, Carnival Studio Theater in the Ziff Ballet Opera House. MIAMI, FL September 10, 2014 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and the University of Miami are proud to present the regional premiere of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, a five-time Tony Award-winning play about how Peter Pan became “The Boy Who Never Grew Up”. Kicking off the Arsht Center’s critically-acclaimed Theater Up Close Season, playing October 9-26, 2014 in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater (Ziff Ballet Opera House), PETER AND THE STARCATCHER continues the Center’s partnership with UM’s Department of Theatre Arts for a fourth consecutive season. The Arsht Center’s 2014-2015 Theater Up Close Season is supported by Alan and Diane Lieberman and the Riviera South Beach Hotel. Tickets to PETER AND THE STARCATCHER are $45* and may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org. Rick Elice’s PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is the innovative and imaginative play with music based on the best-selling novel by Miami native Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In this high-flying adventure, twelve actors play more than 100 unforgettable characters – plus most of the scenery and furniture – in an exhilarating journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become “The Boy Who Never Grew Up”? This epic origin story proves that one’s own imagination is the most captivating place in the world! “We’re thrilled to launch our 2014-2015 Theater Up Close Season with PETER AND THE STARCATCHER – a fantastical, award-winning play that provides a humorous backstory for the beloved character of Peter Pan,” said Scott Shiller, executive vice president of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “This play is bound to inspire the audience and trigger their imagination with the use of inventive props, lighting and talent from an incredible cast of local actors. We can’t wait to transport theatergoers to the land of make believe!” Under the direction of Henry Fonte, producing artistic director of The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, the cast of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER features two incredible Carbonell Award-winning local actors, Nick Richberg as Black Stache and Tom Wahl as Lord Astor, as well as fresh-faced professionals from UM (Timothy Bell, Abigail Berkowitz, Timothy Boehm-Manion, Robert Fritz, Alejandro Gonzalez Del Pino, Joshua Jacobson, Thomas Jansen, Michael Mancini, Liam Merkle and Matt Sawalski). The multi-faceted collaboration between the University of Miami’s Department of Theatre Arts and the Adrienne Arsht Center continues to serve as a professional learning experience that offers the theater majors at the University an opportunity to work with seasoned professionals in creating a professional production. Miami’s hottest regional theater actors join UM’s talented student actors to create more than 100 characters. Students majoring in technical theater and design will work side-by-side with the Adrienne Arsht Center/UM production and creative team to develop a professional set, costumes and lighting design and will assist the production manager, stage manager and other key production staff members. After a premiere in California, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER transferred to Off-Broadway in 2011 and opened on Broadway in April 2012. The show ended its Broadway run in January 2013, and reopened Off-Broadway once again at New World Stages in March 2013, ending in January 2014 >>> The Margulies Warehouse will be reopen at the end of October   and all adult admission charges $10.00 will go to Lotus House Women’s and Children’s Shelter in Overtown and students are free. For more go to http://www.margulieswarehouse.com/ and the Lotus House Gala will be Oct. 25th For more information go to http://lotushouse.org/ Editorial >>> Gubernatorial debate should make the candidates discuss, Climate Change, the environment and water quality, all issues important to the state’s tourist industry Florida voters should hope the Oct. 15 debates between Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist are lively and shed some light on what each man wants to do if they are elected to the highest state office and simple platitudes should not be tolerated by the debate moderators and they should bore down and force, the candidates to actually answer a question that Scott has gotten very adept at not doing for the voters deserve to know what kind of man they will be getting this time around and Scott supporters will say they know from the governor’s past deeds what he will be doing if elected to a second term and job creation will continue to be the focal point of his administration but the closed lipped healthcare executive needs to let the public know before they go to the polls for the race will be tight and is likely that neither candidate will have a majority of statewide voters if they win especially since there is a third party candidate that will siphon off some 10 percent of the electorate and that lack of a majority is a shame for the state needs a clear victor and a governor that will focus on the state’s challenges like Climate Change that is coming whether politicians want it or not and has to be addressed along with water quality and keeping the environment clean since that is also a major draw for tourists from around the world. >>> PAST WDR:  If you are an elected leader & or municipal attorney and don’t like the Florida Sunshine Law, get another job in the private sector for that is the way it is When it comes to the Florida Sunshine Law and passed by the state’s voters the governor’s office and local municipalities need to lift their game when it comes to the compliance issue in a reasonable time for it is the law and if you don’t like it don’t run for office and go to the private sector where you don’t have to worry about such pesky details for that is the way it is, and stonewalling or denying emails exist are the wrong answer especially when elected leaders are always harping about “transparency” and open government but do everything they can to prevent this and it is wrong and just further creates more distrust of their public institutions and how people are governed and some politicians from both parties hate this law but then don’t run for office for that is the way it is and whining about public access to documents and emails is not unreasonable when public dollars are involved and local municipal attorneys do no one a favor when they fight these requests by citizens and it just makes the whole institution they represent look bad, petty and incompetent and that reflects on the elected leaders as well, which many of them fail to realize to their detriment. 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Therefore, I go to meetings, make the presence of an informed citizen known, and bring the information to you.   The Watchdog Report is in the fourth year of publication and it has been an honor to be able to send this information to you. It is sent to readers in Miami-Dade, Florida, the U.S. and the world. The Watchdog Report is sent to thousands free and while readers have been prodded to subscribe the results have been mixed. Over 250 reports and Extra’s have been sent since May 5, 2000 and over one million words have been written on our community’s governments and events.  The report is an original work based on information gathered at public meetings, interviews and from documents in the public domain. LETTER POLICY I welcome letters via e-mail, fax, or snail mail. Letters may be edited for length or clarity and must refer to material published in the Watchdog Report.  Please see address and contact information. Please send any additions and corrections by e-mail, fax or snail mail. All corrections will be published in the next Watchdog Report. If you or your organization would like to publish the contents of this newsletter, please contact me. Please send your request to watchdogreport1@earthlink.net Daniel A. Ricker Publisher & Editor Watchdog Report Est. 05.05.00 Copyright © of original material, 2014, Daniel A. Ricker >>> Watchdog Report is expanding as a new service and this content is now available to other news media, no longer exclusive to The Miami Herald The Watchdog Report is no longer exclusively with The Miami Herald, and excluding the one story a week that is printed in the paper on Monday in the Metro & State section by me. 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The news content will not be free, but you can pick and choose the stories of interest, edit them if necessary but you must still keep the general story intact.  If you are a news outlet and would like to learn more about, the Watchdog Report and this offer contact me at watchdogreport1@earthlink.net for further information. >>> Readers who would like to read the complete University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Southeast United States Media Report go to view the complete report or download ******************************************************************************************************************************************** Watchdog Report Supporters Invoice-Form NOTE: Invoice is for Yearly supporter/sponsorship Rates: Thank you. 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Selected artwork will be displayed in the lobby of The Historic Lyric Theater as part of “Soul Basel Overtown: A celebration of Art, Music and Culture in Colored Town”. This an art festival taking place from December 3 – 7, 2014 in Miami’s Historic Overtown District. We encourage imaginative expression in the interpretation of the theme. This project is designed to highlight the work of South Florida artists among others that will be displayed during Art Basel weekend. In addition to the public, museum professionals and art critics are invited to attend the festival. Entries will be accepted via email. Deadline to apply is Monday, November 17, 2014.To enter or for more information, please contact Adia McKenzie at amckenzie@theblackarchives.org or 786-708-4 About The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc.: The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc is a non-profit organization founded in 1977 by Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Ph.D. With a mission to not only preserve the documentary and photographic history of black South Florida, but also to enrich the present and protect the future through the revitalization Miami’s former black business and entertainment district, Overtown. The Black Archives and its programming are supported by the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency, Miami-Dade County, The Knight Foundation, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, The Design Group Miami & Drummer Boy Sound. For more information on The Black Archives of South Florida visit www.theblackarchives.org. Kristi House Lands Federal Grant and Global Honor for Project GOLD Child Sexual Exploitation Program >>>> MIAMI – Kristi House was one of four organizations in the country awarded a U.S. Department of Justice grant for its program for commercially sexually exploited children, Project GOLD. The three-year, $450,000 grant awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will add a community mentoring component to Project GOLD, and expand services to boys, transgender and questioning  youth. In separate news also related to the organization’s work on behalf of child sex trafficking victims, Kristi House’s Executive Director Trudy Novicki was named one of 10 recipients of the international C-10 Award. The C10 Award recognizes 10 global leaders and their fight against the trafficking of children. Sophie Stenbeck Family Foundation, World Childhood Foundation and Reach for Change co-founded the award to support and acknowledge entrepreneurial leaders of the child rights field. The C10 Award Forum will be held November 3, 2014, in Stockholm, Sweden. “Trudy has made a lasting and profound impact not just for Kristi House, but for all children exposed to commercial sexual exploitation throughout our state,” Kristi House President Juan Trescastro said. “Trudy truly cares about this community and these child victims,” said State Representative Jeanette Nunez, co-sponsor of the Florida Safe Harbor Act.  To continue reading click here. Join us for the 15th Anniversary Touch a Heart Dinner on Nov. 14!