Photographed unloading things from the Princess Kimberly yacht.

In other Rothstein news, you can read about Scott's new digs here.

Oh yeah -- I went back in the Wayback machine to RRA's old website -- for research of course.

It's a fun timekiller.

Wish me luck in court, kidzzzzzzz!

This part of John Pacenti's DBR article this morning was interesting:

The government confirmed through its filing that RRA employees accepted large work-related bonuses shortly after being instructed to make large campaign contributions to political candidates.

“Such conduct was designed to conceal the true sources of the contribution and to illegally circumvent campaign finance laws,” according to the filing signed by Sloman and three assistant U.S. attorneys.

When asked about that yesterday, Stu (who still hasn't learned to keep his pupik shut) said the following:

Rothstein law partner Stuart Rosenfeldt gave $150,000 to political committees to support Republican Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti and Democratic challenger Scott Israel last year. On Tuesday, Rosenfeldt said that came from his money, but he declined to say whether Rothstein directed him to make the contributions.

``I'm not going to comment on that stuff,'' Rosenfeldt said. ``Scott ran the place like a rooster. I don't think it's prudent to answer. It was my money.''

Stu, if it's "not prudent to answer" than why are you talking to the press?

Also, why then answer with two potentially contradictory things -- Scott "ran the place like a rooster" but "[i]t was my money."

It's not hard to find out more about political contributions on these here tubes.

Here are Kim's 2008 federally-reported contributions (about $100k), and here are Russell Adler's contributions.

Hmm, Russ donated $124k to the McCain-Palin Victory 2008 (barf) on October 21, 2008, whereas Stu donated $57k to the McCain-Palin Victory 2008 a whole six days later, on October 28, 2008.

Earlier, Russ donated $80k to the McCain-Palin Victory 2008 on June 12, 2008, whereas Stu donated $140k to the McCain-Palin Victory 2008 a whole two weeks before that, on May 28, 2008.

(For those keeping a scorecard, big bad Scottie donated $37.5k to the McCain-Palin Victory 2008 on October 14, 2008, and another $70k back on May 2, 2008.)

It's nice when partners share the same political interests, right?

BTW, in the prior Presidential campaign cycle, back in 2004, Stu donated a sum total of $5k to all candidates and campaign committees (oy with this Friends of Connie Mack).

By comparison, Scott donated a whopping $7.5k back in 2004.

What a difference four years make.

Well kids, it's that time again to give our thanks and blessings for another year.

I thought it pretty interesting that in years past Thanksgiving had both a "fasting" and "feasting" component.

Indeed, what does it say about us that everyone abandoned the "fast" part:

In the nearly 400 years since the first Thanksgiving, the holiday has come to mirror our transformation into a nation of gross overconsumption, but the New England colonists never intended for Thanksgiving to be a day of gluttony. They dished up restraint along with gratitude as a shared main course. What mattered most was not the feast itself, but the gathering together in thanks and praise for life’s most humble gifts. Perhaps this holiday season we could benefit from restoring a proper Thanksgiving balance between forbearance and indulgence.

Ben Kuehne has something to be thankful for, and so do we all. This is tremendous news, and what great timing!

David has more, including a statement from Ben, and you can see the order of dismissal here.

I hope some or all of you are giving something back this Thanksgiving, in a meaningful way.

And don't forget the powerful words of Johnny Carson:

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.

Enjoy the photographs, the bird and family, and have a peaceful and loving holiday weekend.

Ever wonder how Scott did in court?

You'll need a PACER account but it'll be worth it I promise ya kidzzzz:

Renato Watches:

Scott filed a few cases on behalf of his buddy, Ovadia "Ovi" Levy, Scott's partner in Renato Watches.

One was a trademark case involving the "public face" of Renato Watches on ShopNBC, "Daniel Mink."

Another was a suit against a critic of Renato Watches, Howard Bernstein.

That complaint is here and is a fun read. God those watches seem dreadful (please don't sue!).

Both cases were voluntarily dismissed shortly after filing, indicating they either settled quickly or were "strike suits" and dropped after having (or not having) their intended effect.

Ultimate Cigars:

Scott represented Ultimate Cigars in a cybersquatting case that similarly ended quickly.

That, of course, was before Scott allegedly tried to trap his former client, according to what Bob Norman is reporting here.

Where are all those hush-hush sexual harassment and whistleblower cases that were bringing in all the big bucks?

Must be on Judge Marra's "secret" docket.

In other news, Richard Sharpstein drops a bombshell on Judge Stettin, you can read it (again) over at Bob Norman's blog here.

What the hail is going on in the world?

That's Scotty talking to the press again:

I had a couple of brief exchanges with Scott Rothstein today. Most of it I'll have to bleep out.

Suffice to say Rothstein had some ideas on what we could do in our spare time, rather than trying to interview his family members.

He was objecting to questions about his wife, Kimberly Ann Wendell Rothstein. She's been silent throughout this ordeal. Her bodyguard, Joe "Meatballs'' Alu (I got the nickname from his voice message), said she's a very private person, and doesn't want to talk. She is reportedly still living in the house on Isla Bahia, but federal authorities took the yacht, most of the cars, and even her jewelry, in the wake of accusations her husband was running a Ponzi scheme.

This part is intriguing:

“You’re in a town full of thieves, and at the end of the day, everyone will see. I’ll leave it at that.’’

Meanwhile, lobbyist-turned-Senator LeMieux just doesn't understand how Scotty made all that money he kept donating to the GOP:

"I’ve talked to him and know him," LeMieux, who ran a competing law firm, said last week. "I never understood how he was so successful, but I wasn’t the kind of person to try to pull down others. I just hope for the best and was always optimistic about him as I am about everybody and thought there must be some other way he is making his money."

I agree with the Senator -- case closed!

Kinda weird how Scotty got invited to the Senator's swearing-in ceremony. Some people are lucky I guess.

You want to see where some of the money went, take a look at Kim's $100k in political donations for 2008 (made under her maiden name) -- McCain/Palin, Senator Martinez, Rudy Giuliani....hey, what's Bill Richardson doing in there?

So I briefly nodded off as I was monitoring a deposition by phone this afternoon. That in and of itself is not unusual; what was strange was what happened next.

I found myself in the Moroccan desert, something out of The Sheltering Sky, except instead of Port and Kit Moresby or even John Malkovich and Debra Winger there was Scott and Kim and they looked really really weird and were with some old dude and they were trying to sell me bad acid.

That's the last time I have Ethiopian for lunch.

I'm bored to bits here.

Can someone explain how a lawyer who has accepted voluntary disbarment is still on the 4th DCA JNC and our Governor has "no immediate plans" to remove him?

I also love the ridiculous application he made to the Governor for appointment, preceded and followed by boatloads of cash (was any of it his?):

"I am driven to insure (sic) the integrity of our judiciary,'' Rothstein wrote. "I will accept nothing less than professionalism and integrity.''

Rothstein was a major contributor to Florida's Republican Party and donated to Crist's campaign for attorney general and governor. A photo hanging in Rothstein's law office when the investment scandal broke late last month shows Crist hugging the lawyer with a handwritten note from the governor: "Scott – You're amazing!''

Ivey did not respond to questions about whether the governor's relationship with Rothstein or his political support influenced the appointment. Rothstein's term is up in 2012.

Earlier this month, the Florida Bar removed Rothstein from a Broward County grievance committee that hears complaints against attorneys.

The Best Lawyers in America had included Rothstein in its lawyer referral database since 2005 but removed him on Nov. 4, the day of an FBI raid on Rothstein's office, a spokesman said.

Rothstein touted his inclusion in Best Lawyers in his gubernatorial application. He also noted that he had handled more than 150 jury trials, and he had a "unique insight into the judiciary.''

"I am a confidante (sic) of many members of the judiciary and am called on regularly for counsel,'' Rothstein wrote.

Rothstein listed auto magnate Ed Morse Jr. as one of three character references. Morse's family now says that Rothstein swindled them out of millions.

The governor selected Rothstein and two other attorneys for the commission from a pool of 24 applicants.

At the time, Rothstein, his partner and their immediate families had donated over $200,000 to the Republican Party of Florida, and Rothstein had contributed $8,500 to Crist. Four days after the appointment, Rothstein contributed $140,000 to the GOP.

Once again, the question arises -- how did this man get this far in the South Florida legal community without anyone calling bull@($t?

A middling Broward employment defense lawyer but he claims to have tried 150 jury trials?

Hey, did he mention his $57 million sanctions order before Judge Marra?

Love ya South Florida!!

Remember that post from Friday which detailed efforts by RRA lawyers Steve Lippman and Riley Cirulnick to get an emergency enlargement of upcoming deadlines in a matter pending before Judge Cooke?

If you'll recall, Matthew S. Nelles at Ruden McClosky opposed the requested enlargement, basically arguing that the discovery deadlines date back to April and the RRA lawyers were dilatory in a number of respects and should have completed the discovery well before the whole Scott Rothstein stuff broke.

(Matt, if I missed something please feel free to chime in).

Well here comes the reply, filed Monday, which provides further insight into the difficulties faced by the RRA lawyers still at that firm trying to service clients:

GFM is accurate that ACE/Mr. Bennett/Ebway's counsel was "incommunicado" for the period their firm was undergoing this upheaval. Response at p.1. This is precisely why the extensions sought are appropriate. A receiver was appointed and questions about what counsel could and could not do had to be addressed. The computers were down; no email, no word processing, no research capability. Counsel are looking for new homes and making arrangements to move there. The short extensions sought under these circumstances are more than justified.

In a footnote these lawyers also note that Monday, the day of this filing, RRA's "entire computer system (including emails and phone) were disabled for approximately 2-3 hours."

Incidentally, it looks from the certificate of service that Steve and Riley landed or are landing over at Arthur Rice's firm.

Good luck fellas.

Oh, I almost forgot -- I managed to unearth a rare photograph of me taken with Scott and Kim Rothstein at an event we all attended last year.

Enjoy!

UPDATE -- Judge Cooke granted and denied the motion in part. She granted the enlargement as to the summary judgment deadline, but agreed with Matt as to the discovery deadlines, finding no causal relationship between the Scott Rothstein fiasco and failing to complete discovery within the court-ordered deadlines.

Happy Monday campers.

Sad news as retired Judge Leonard Rivkind passed away Saturday. I think it's fair to say everyone has a Judge Rivkind story, and they are all positive. He touched many of us by being a smart, caring, compassionate judge, who will be dearly missed. Services will be at 11 a.m this morning at Riverside on Alton.

It was interesting to see the architect of RRA's crisis management team, Charles Jones, hold forth on the media strategy he crafted (in today's SFBJ but for some reason I can't find a link):

The team opened "constant communications" between Rosenfeldt and the media -- from influential bloggers to The Wall Street Journal -- promising exclusives to no one, and saying nothing "off the record," Jones said. The goal was to nip rumors, and "present an atmosphere of transparency."

I previously described Stu's approach as one of transparency, but wasn't very sure it was working well.

Indeed, it appears it was Jones' idea to give the grand tour of Scott's lair:

"Many people asked how is it possible that the attorneys didn't know about Mr. Rothstein's alleged activities?'' said spokesman Charles Jones. "We attempted to describe how Mr. Rothstein walled himself off from the firm. We believed the only way to get that message through was to show the layout of the office and the security system.''

Many people -- including myself -- questioned this approach.

It's interesting that after Stu's muddled comments back on November 5, he has been quiet in terms of the media, and it appears the "transparency" strategy has been retired in favor of a "lawyer up and stay silent" approach.

And let me say this -- if I start writing emails like this or start behaving like this, you have full authority to remove me from any positions of authority:

His sartorial choices, for starters, drew attention: alligator shoes; hand-painted ties, including one that resembled a pepperoni pizza, and dyed-orange Ostrich-skinned boots, colleagues say.

Ronald Cacciatore, who used to work for Mr. Rothstein as a private investigator, says he bumped into the attorney this year wearing a dark suit "with bright gold pinstripes as thick as my pinkie." The attorney, he says, was flocked by a driver and security guards. "He grabbed me and kissed me on both cheeks," Mr. Cacciatore says.

The stocky, 5-foot-6-inch lawyer was routinely spotted at his Fort Lauderdale haunts such as Ultimate Cigars, where he smoked $40 Padron Aniversario Nicaraguan cigars, according to the shop's owner. He would pull up in anything from a Bentley to a Rolls Royce to a blue Bugatti Veyron, which retails for more than $1.5 million.

Colleagues say they alternately recoiled from and reveled in Mr. Rothstein's exploits. The attorney was often the life of the party, picking up the tab for elaborate bashes, and playing piano and singing for his guests, according to partygoers. At one party, Mr. Rothstein set up a 20-foot long ice bar at his house, with a giant ice sculpture of the law firm's "RRA" slogan, embedded with purple lighting, says Mr. Sharp, the former attorney at the firm. "Waiters were walking around with shrimp as big as your head," he says.

Depends on the head, right?

That's just wrong wrong wrong.

You know, I've been trying to stay away from Rothstein for a least a post or two, and had every intention to do a 3d DCA Watch now that the opinions are up, but these allegedly fake orders in the Ted Morse lawsuit are just too delicious to pass up.

Brittany Wallman of the Sun-Sentinel has the story here:

The Sun Sentinel Wednesday obtained copies of the fake court orders Morse says he was given, allegedly by Rothstein. They bear the forged signatures of two federal judges, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, and U.S. Appellate Court Judge Susan H. Black. One of the documents threatened Morse into silence with a "strict" confidentiality order, even as he grew increasingly suspicious.

The documents Rothstein gave Morse bear no case numbers, and are instead marked "Under Seal.''

The first, with a fake Marra signature, said the kitchen designer was liable to Morse for "punitive damages for fraud,'' and owed Morse $23 million. It said the designer had illegally moved millions to the Cayman Islands, but that Rothstein "has facilitated the contact between the relative governments,'' and that the money would be returned to the U.S.

The faked order demanded that Morse "deposit to their attorney's trust account the sum of $15 million no later than 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, the 20th day of March, 2009'' as a bond to secure the funds. "If such funds are not so posted,'' it went on, "this order shall be null and void. …''

The order said that Morse would have his $15 million returned, and also would be reimbursed payments he'd made to Rothstein of $15 million, $4.1 million and $18.5 million. That totals $52.6 million, but Pozzuoli said "it appears [Morse] posted $57 million total.''

Along with the faked Marra order came a 15-page confidentiality order, which Morse and others with knowledge of the case were told to sign. It warned that if anyone talked about the case, ever, they'd face "severe consequences … including … civil and criminal penalties'' and that Morse could only discuss the case with Rothstein. Breaches would be punished by "damages of $1 million per each incident of disclosure'' as well as possible additional damages and criminal charges, it said.

In the subsequent few months, Morse got some of his money back, the lawyers say, though they wouldn't say how much.

Let's look closely at the purported Judge Marra order.

1. There's no case number.
2. An interior decorating dispute yet Rothstein allegedly obtains a $2 million judgment.
3. "Punitive damages for fraud" to the tune of $21 million.
4. Rothstein allegedly gilds the lily with repeated references to how "clear and convincing" his evidence and presentation was.
5. A "contempt of counsel" award and Rule 11 sanctions too (where's the 28 USC Section 1927 award as well??)
6. Jones somehow waived her right of appeal "based on the doctrine of fraud in the inducement" and "unclean hands"?
7. This is friggin' loony tunes.

Jordana Mishory lays out the forfeiture complaint filed against Scott Rothstein in today's DBR:

Prosecutors said they had probable cause to believe the properties “were acquired in connection with a Ponzi scheme conducted by attorney Scott Rothstein ... and others,” the complaint said. It was filed at the end of a day after federal agents seized Rothstein’s yacht, cars and other possessions.

In the first court document laying out the direction prosecutors are heading, the complaint said Rothstein solicited investors for falsified structured settlements. The civil complaint lays out federal authority by alleging wire transfers crossed state lines and the investment vehicles were offered nationally.

Reading the complaint, it seems implausible Rothstein could generate false wire transfer receipts and other documents all by himself:

"Further, as a fraudulent inducement to investors, Rothstein and co-conspirators falsified documents which were present to investors as proof that certain some of money were contained in those bank accounts when, in fact, the bank accounts did not contain the funds."

Indeed, at several times the complaint makes reference to Rothstein "and others" who executed the alleged Ponzi scheme. Notably, the complaint alleges that the victims were instructed to wire monies to the RRA trust account.

The complaint seems at odds with Marc's comments to the SFBJ yesterday, where he asserted that the seizures were just a routine effort to preserve assets:

He said seizures of Rothstein’s cars and boats were only done to preserve the assets, and do not mean the government has a strong case.

The Herald story David links to is not even a Ponzi scheme, it's just a straight-out alleged lawyer fraud, again difficult in my mind to execute without assistance:

Ed and Carol Morse -- who were family friends with Rothstein -- sued Boca Raton decorator Jan Jones in 2006 claiming he botched their job. Rothstein told the Morses earlier this year that they had won the breach-of-contract case and that the decorator owed them $23 million, sources said.

It wasn't true. In fact, the Morses lost the case.

Rothstein also produced purported federal court orders signed by a judge, saying the Morses could claim the judgment by seizing a Cayman Islands bank account belonging to the decorator, sources said.

There were no such court orders, nor any fat bank account, court records show.

To confiscate the money, the Fort Lauderdale lawyer allegedly told the Morses they had to post a bond 2 ½ times larger than the judgment, or $57 million, the sources said. The large amount was required as a guarantee in case bank officials confiscated the judgment from the wrong account, Rothstein told them.

So the couple wired the $57 million to Rothstein in installments earlier this year, the sources said. It is not clear whether Rothstein paid any of that money back.

Forged federal court orders? Is Scott that good with Wordperfect?

On top of everything else, after allegedly taking $57 million from the Morses, Rothstein apparently settled the suit and obligated the Morses to pay the decorator $800k(!), which naturally has not yet been satisfied either.

You know, by my count Scott has already given three interviews -- to the Herald, to Bob Norman, and to WSVN. He also briefly spoke with the DBR.

So I feel it's my turn.

Scott, if you are reading this, I'd like to conduct an interview.

Huh? Don't be such a narcissist.

It doesn't have to be an interview with you.

UPDATE: Bob Norman is reporting that -- solely according to Scott -- Judge Zloch's brother Chuck is one of Scott's three "best friends."

Not sure if that is good or bad (Ted Morse was another one).

Let's see -- is there any non-Scott Rothstein-related news we can talk about?

I'm a little pissed Scott hasn't wrote in yet -- you're "in hiding" at the Capital Grille but you can't send a short note to a humble blogger and loyal fan?

(Note -- I'm mostly a fan of the family).

Hmm, how about this --

Did you all know that Bob Mayer is opening up a Miami office for San Francisco-based Gordon & Rees:

Robert Mayer has been practicing law in Florida for more than 25 years, serving the litigation and transactional needs of global corporations such as Cartier, Chevron, Citgo, CROSSMARK, Gucci, Ralph Lauren/Polo and Texaco, as well as numerous other national and regional companies. He has handled more than 150 litigated matters in state and federal courts involving complex commercial litigation, employment law, intellectual property, environmental torts, and financial fraud claims. He previously served as general counsel to a local hospital, is currently a life-time board member of the National Kidney Foundation of Florida, and has an almost unique distinction of being a 9th generation Floridian and a 4th generation Miamian.

"Joining Gordon & Rees is an exciting opportunity for me to open the office of a national firm and grow it into a strategic regional hub. Gordon & Rees is a perfect fit for my clients because it has a unique reputation as a well run, fiscally conservative law firm that delivers impressive results at a very reasonable price. This is exactly what clients want, particularly in today's challenging economic environment. I look forward to being able to offer the firm's extensive national services to my clients and to significantly expand the firm's legal services in the Florida market." Robert M. Mayer, Managing Partner, Miami office.

Bob, congrats.

As long as your managing partner doesn't bury himself in an elaborate compound at the bottom of an island Volcano and speak to you only through a pneumatic tube messaging service, you should do fine.

BTW, here's a song about a different Kim but it sums up where my head is at: