Palm Beach County Criminal Lawyer Blog

Lori Garmer Arrested In Palm Beach, Florida for Hit and Run

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:49:16 -0500

Lori Elizabeth Garmer of Palm Beach, FL, was arrested Monday on charges of fleeing the scene of an accident with injuries, child neglect and driving with a suspended license. She was granted $6,000 bail bond, but remains at the Palm Beach County jail in lieu of paying the bond. It is not yet known whether she retains a private criminal defense attorney.

Garner, 43, was arrested in connection to a Monday car accident where she allegedly hit Thomas Williams Jr., 63, then fled the scene of the accident. It is not currently
clear what happened at the 2:46 p.m. accident scene near the 5100 block of Melaleuca Road; who struck who and other circumstances of the collision have yet to be released.

However, police report getting calls from witnesses of the accident first reporting the accident, then telling police that one of the drivers was fleeing the scene of the accident.

Alleged Maniac Puppy Killer Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:27:51 -0500

Esteban Gonzalez was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for one count of animal cruelty, one count of criminal mischief, and two counts of battery, following an incident where he allegedly killed his girlfriend's puppy by slitting its neck. The Jupiter resident is believed to be in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail. It is not known if he was granted bail or if he has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

According to the arrest report, 24-year-old Gonzalez and his pregnant girlfriend, whose name has not been released, had spent the day at Lion Country Safari, a West Palm Beach drive-through safari with an abutting amusement park.

The unnamed girlfriend told police that she had noticed that Gonzalez had not been behaving normally at the park. It is not known how far along her pregnancy is.

The girlfriend told authorities that when she and Gonzalez returned to their apartment on Thelma Avenue in Jupiter, Gonzalez called the dog to come outside. When it came out of the apartment, he attacked it, slashed its' throat with a razor and killed it on the spot.

She said that there was no apparent reason for the attack.

Toby Jenkins Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for Fraud

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:37:45 -0500

Toby Jenkins of Riviera Beach was arrested on Monday after he allegedly conspired with another man to scam Louis Roinuse out of over $22,000. Roinuse fronted the money for a construction project that was never completed. Jenkins was arrested on charges of grand theft, organized fraud, engaging in contracting without certification, and forgery. He was booked and released from Palm Beach County Jail after posting $7,500 bail bond on Monday evening. It is not yet known whether Jenkins has a private criminal defense attorney.

The other suspect in the case, Michael Ippolito, 41 is still at large. He allegedly helped Jenkins with the scheme. At this time, police are unsure of his whereabouts or how he knew Jenkins.

According to reports, Jenkins pretended to be the owner of Aladdin Builders of Delray Beach, FL in order to procure a construction job for Louis Roinuse for a condominium located in Riviera Beach on the 4200 block of North Ocean Drive. Roinuse alleges that he paid a $12,500 deposit to start the construction work in May 2010. He reported that Jenkins informed him after he made the deposit that he was having problems acquiring the necessary permits and that he needed more time. Riviera Beach records show that Jenkins and Ippolito both applied for permits under Aladdin Builders' name.

James Avera Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for Running Over Girlfriend's Head with Truck

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:21:09 -0500

James Avera was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida after he allegedly ran over his ex-girlfriend's head in a bizarre domestic violence attack last Sunday. Avera, 51, was denied bail bond at an initial hearing and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail. He faces criminal charges for attempted murder, robbery and battery. It is not known whether he has retained a private criminal defense attorney.

At Avera's initial hearing, an attorney commented that Toni Baran, 35, was "a very lucky lady" for surviving the attack and that it was "amazing" that she was released from the hospital. Her lucky escape may have saved Baran steeper charges relating to the incident.

The shocking incident, which was witnessed by several bystanders, occurred at around 9 p.m. Sunday night near the 200 block of Wenonah Place. Avera and Baran had allegedly been visiting a friend and were in Avera's truck, about to drive off with a third person, when they got into an argument about money that Baran allegedly owed Avera. It is not clear when the two stopped seein each other or whether they were normally on good terms.

Juveniles Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida After Acid Bomb Incident in School

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:52:40 -0500

An acid bomb set off in a boy's bathroom at a school in Palm Beach, Florida. The school, Four Tradewinds Middle School, is located at 5090 Haverhill Road. On Thursday four students were taken into custody. Two of the students were subsequently arrested and booked at the West Palm Beach Juvenile Assessment Center. It is not yet known if any of the boys' families have retained a private criminal defense attorney.

Although the ages and names of the students have not been released due to their status as minors, it can be surmised that the four boys are likely between the ages of 11 and 14, since they are in middle school. According to Nat Harrington, Palm Beach School District Spokesperson, the four students have been officially suspended and may face expulsion as a result of the offense.

According to Harrington, two of the boys brought the acid bomb, a soda bottle containing household chemicals, onto a school bus on the morning on the 9th. The two boys gave the other two suspects the bomb and told them how to use it. Harrington says that the students set the bomb of "as a prank" in the boy's bathroom first thing in the morning.

Rashed Emon Clark Charged in Palm Beach, Florida w/ Child Sex Trafficking

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:27:08 -0500

Rashed Emon Clark, is facing charges in Palm Beach, Florida for child sex trafficking. Also charged is Mandi Lynn Bowman, one of his prostitutes. Both parties were charged with sex trafficking of children, inducing a minor to engage in commercial sex act, and conspiring to induce a minor to engage in commercial sex act. All are Federal offenses. The pair will reportedly be transported back to Palm Beach for federal prosecution. It is not yet known when they will be brought back to Florida or whether either party has a criminal defense attorney.

The pair was arrested by the Human Trafficking Task Force and FBI agents at approximately 7 p.m. on Tuesday. There was no struggle. If the two are convicted, they will face up to lifetime prison sentences.

The allegations come in connection to a 14-year-old girl who Clark and Bowman prostituted. The 14-year-old's name has not been released because of her age. She is currently in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families. Although it is not clear what her family situation is, her stepfather suspected that she had become involved in prostitution and informed authorities of his hunch when the girl went missing on February 2.

According to testimony from the girl and the two defendants, the teen met Clark at a convenience store on February 1. She got his number and called him later to discuss prostitution and make plans.

If Mandi Bowmann has any brains whatsoever, she will immediately hire a criminal defense attorney to work out a deal for her with prosecutors that includes her cooperation in exchange for a lesser sentence. Based on past experience, I would guess that she was the lesser party in this offense and likely acted under the influence and coercion of Rashed Clark.

Under Federal law, acting under the control of another dominating person is considered a mitigating factor. However, there should be no misunderstandings... both Mandi Bowmann and Rashed Clark are most likely going to prison. The real question is for how long?

Michelle Austin-Wilks Charged in Palm Beach, FL w/ Wire Fraud

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:41:24 -0500

Michelle Austin-Wilks was charged in Palm Beach, Florida with wire fraud, which is a Federal offense. The charges are federal and could result in up to 30 years behind bars. It is not clear who her criminal defense attorney is.

Austin-Wiks was originally charged along with six real estate agents, mortgage brokers, realtors, attorneys and title agents and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and substantive wire fraud in August 2011.

Charged along with her at the time were Ghaith Al Nahar, 40, formerly of Boynton Beach; Romy Defay, 28, of West Palm Beach; Philip Jay Newman, 58, of Miami Jeffery Gilbert, 53, of Miramar; and Lucien Laguerre, 37, of Lauderhill. The sextet was though to have orchestrated $9.2 million in fraudulent loans through the sale of homes in Lake Worth's Country Cove Estates.

The six were arrested along with 27 other Floridians in a mass mortgage fraud scheme that is believed to have netted over $30 million. The scheme capitalized on the booming real estate market just before the recession hit.

The additional charge against Austin-Wilks comes after an investigation by the Federal-State Mortgage Fraud Task Force, a subsidiary of the U.S. Attorney's Office. Austin-Wilks reportedly had to be retrieved from Jamaica by the U.S. Marshal to face charges. It is not clear if she was there on vacation or to flee the charges, or for some other purpse.

To learn more about how to defend against charges like these, click here: Mortgage Fraud

Sayiad Khan & Aimen Faraj Face More Charges in Palm Beach, FL

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:04:31 -0500

Sayied Khan and Aimen Faraj are facing additional charges in Palm Beach, Florida for their alleged involvement in a scheme to make money by falsifying community service hours for criminals. The pair was originally arrested in August of last year on bribery and fraud charges. Now, the two conspirators face charges of organized scheme to defraud, conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior and six counts of official misconduct. It is not known if either man is represented by a private criminal defense attorney.

Faraj is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of paying $56,000 bail bond. It is not clear where Khan is, but records show that he was not in custody in Palm Beach as of last night. If convicted of all charges, both men may face prison sentences.

The charges come in connection to allegations that Khan and Faraj collaborated to make a profit off of criminals assigned community service hours. Khan worked a the Palm Beach Public Safety Department from 2002-2011, where he was responsible for tracking community service hours required of convicted criminals by the court. Faraj was chairman of the Pollution Solution Foundation, a Singer Island-based nonprofit that creates artwork out of ocean litter in order to educate people about the effects of littering. The group holds exhibitions and benefits as well as events in schools.

Randy Willis Hayes Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for Grand Theft

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:17:14 -0500

Randy Willis Hayes, 32, was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida last week for allegedly stealing over $20,000 from bank customers. Hayes was employed as a bank teller at the time of his alleged offense. Hayes is not facing one count of organized scheme to defraud and two counts of theft from a person of 65 years of age or older.

He has since been released from the Palm Beach County Jail after posting $19,000 bail bond. It is unknown whether he has a criminal defense attorney.

The thefts came to light after an internal investigation by Wells Fargo. The bank approached the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office last year, saying that they had reason to believe that Hayes, who worked at a Lake Worth bank branch, had been stealing from customers via withdrawals and transfers that the customers had not authorized.

Upon further investigation, authorities discovered that Hayes had withdrawn money from three different accounts, one belonging to a couple and two others to individuals. The withdrawals had totaled $22,172.23.

Alex Petersmarck Arrested in Palm Beach Extortion Case

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:51:51 -0500

Alex Petersmarck, 32, of Palm Beach Gardens was arrested last week on three counts of using the U.S. Postal Service in mailing threatening communications. The charges are federal because of the involvement of the U.S. Postal Service. Due to financial hardship, Petersmarck is being represented by a public defender rather than a private criminal defense attorney. The defender, Robin Rosen-Evans, declined to speak to the press. Petersmarck's first hearing is this coming Friday in the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach.

The allegations come in connection to Petersmarck threatening and tracking a Palm Beach family for 18 months in an attempt to get them to pay him over $5 million. He was finally caught when an FBI Agent followed Petersmarck's directions over a two-way radio to go to a mall, a church and a construction site in a maneuver that Petersmarck thought would get him the first payout. Instead, he was arrested.

The plan was surprisingly elaborate; Petersmarck had even sent the family the two-way radio used for the directions.

Ofc. Sean Grant Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for Grand Theft

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:36:41 -0500

Sean Grant, 44, was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for allegedly stealing over $55,000 from his mother. Grant, who faces charges of grand theft over $20,000 and uttering forged bills, checks or drafts, was booked at the Palm Beach County Jail and released less than an hour later on $8,000 bail bond. It is currently unknown whether Grant has a criminal defense attorney. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The check, made out to Grant's mother, Renee Grant, for a total of $55,279.58, was a result of a wrongful death suit that Grant's sister had filed on behalf of her mother. The wrongful death suit was against a nursing home in regards to the death of Grant's grandmother. Grant had suggested the suit and was therefore supposed to receive a few thousand dollars from the payout, said Grant's sister in the affidavit.

One of Grant's sisters reported that she sent Grant the check, as she was unaware of the fact that her mother had a bank account. She was under the impression that Grant would get her mother the money. Instead, Grant allegedly forged his mother's signature, deposited the check in his account, and proceeded to spend most of it. He reportedly made the deposit on August 13, 2010.

Sterlin Willis Arrested in Palm Beach for Attempt Sexual Battery

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:29:00 -0500

Sterlin Cedrin Willis, 27, was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for attempted sexual battery on a child under 12 years of age and burglary of an occupied dwelling with battery. He was arrested last Monday and is being held without bail bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. It is unknown whether Willis has a private criminal defense attorney.

According to a police affidavit of the November 6 incident, an unnamed 10-year-old girl awoke in the middle of the night to find a man she didn't know "trying to remove her underwear." The girl told detectives that she woke up and the man went right back out the window. She said she heard the "sound of pants going up and a zipper" upon his departure.

Boynton Beach Mayor Suspended by Gov. Scott Pending Investigation

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:24:47 -0500

José Rodriguez, mayor of Boynton Beach, Florida, was just suspended by Governor Scott pending an investigation that could land Rodriguez behind bars. Rodriguez was arrested on January 26th on charges of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior, solicitation to commit unlawful disclosure of confidential criminal information, and obstruction of a law-enforcement officer. He is currently out of custody on a $5,000 bail bond.

Rodriguez is claiming he is innocent of all charges, which come in connection to what officials say was an attempt by Rodriguez to stifle a child abuse case brought upon him by his estranged wife. Rodriguez has been accused of attempting to bribe, threaten, and/or coerce two specific members of his staff into dropping the case: Interim City Manager Lori LaVerriere and Police Chief Matt Immler.

Rodriguez told investigators that he had "absolutely not" told the pair of officials to stop investigating the case against him, and that he had no intentions of resigning. "I respect the governor's decision and look forward to the judicial process and the vindication of my name and status as mayor," he told the press in an email.

Delores Brown Arrested in Palm Beach, Florida for Grand Theft

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:43:32 -0500

Delores Brown was recently arrested for grand theft for allegedly stealing approximately $25,000 worth of furniture from the Palm Beach County School District between August 2010 and October 2010. Delores Brown used to serve as a Palm Beach County School District Director. She and Priscilla Maloney, the former principal of Plumosa Elementary School in Delray Beach, are accused of collaborating on the thefts. It is not yet known who Brown's criminal defense attorney is.

Brown was taken to Palm Beach county jail, where she reportedly confessed to taking the furniture. She was using the furniture at her business, Brown's Funeral Home in Lantana. If convicted, she faces up to 5 years in prison.

As a criminal defense attorney, I can tell you that a good lawyer should be able to negotiate the payment of restitution over time in exchange for probation. However, this assume that Brown does not have any meaningful criminal history.

If she does, her criminal sentencing score sheet may require a mandatory prison sentence.

Occupy Palm Beach Protestors Arrested at Boca Raton Resort and Club

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:31:29 -0500

In a case that has captured national media attention, three Occupy protesters were arrested on charges of obstructing a highway, resisting arrest without violence, and a municipal ordinance violation yesterday. The trio were protesting a hedge fund industry conference. They now await their initial hearing at the Palm Beach County Jail, where their bail bond will be set by a judge. No word on whether or not any of the protestors have retained criminal defense attorneys.

The event that the three were protesting was the 2012 GAIM (Global Alternative Investment Management) Conference for Hedge Fund Professionals. The conference was help at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, owned by Waldorf Astoria, and drew attendees in top-level positions from across the nation to come discuss issues and tactics.

The schedule for Monday included public pensions and a 'top manager panel.' According to the GAIM website, "over 75 percent of attendees...at the managing director level and above" and "investors [who attend] have discretion over $215 billion and over $8 trillion under advisement." Some of the attendees are involved in touchy issues like home foreclosure and private prison investment.