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1998 Releases
10/19/98 - Truancy Intervention Program Expansion
10/18/98 - Woman of Valor Award 10/10/98 - Sentencing Guidelines Abolished 09/31/98 - Bad Check Restitution Program 09/19/98 - Miami City Commissioner Humberto Hernandez Adjudicated Guilty 09/17/98 - Livian Hernandez 09/17/98 - Forum on Water Management and Restoration 07/15/98 - Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office Receives "Public Service Agency of the Year" Award 06/23/98 - Investigation of County Paving & Striping Contract Results in Arrest 04/02/98 - Voter Fraud Arrests Made ED GRIFFITH Public Information Officer PHONE: 305-547-0535TERRY CHAVEZ Hispanic Media Relations Public Information Officer PHONE: 305-547-0535 If you cannot view PDF's, click on Acrobat Reader or the image below to download the free software.  |
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Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 10:19:98 State Attorney Announces Expansion of Truancy Intervention Program Miami (October 19, 1998) - State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, and Miami-Dade School Superintendent Roger Cuevas will hold a press conference at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, October 20, 1998, at the Office of the State Attorney, 1350 NW 12 Avenue, conference room S418-419, to announce the expansion of the Truancy Intervention Program (T.I.P.). T.I.P. is a part of the State Attorney's overall crime prevention effort and seeks to mandate parental responsibility through enforcement of Florida's mandatory school attendance laws. T.I.P. is unique because it utilizes truancy as a trigger to discover and address the needs of the child and family in a holistic fashion to prevent future juvenile delinquent behavior. This program was first launched in 1994 as a pilot in four elementary schools and has succeeded in reducing truancy, violations of the Code of Student Conduct, and improved scholastic achievement among the children targeted by the program. The current expansion will now encompass all elementary schools and initiate pilot programs in 13 middle and one high school. This will increase the population targeted by the program from 83,000 to 200,000 Miami-Dade students. T.I.P. is the largest cooperative effort ever undertaken by the State Attorney's Office and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. It is also the first such program in Florida. Both State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and School Superintendent Roger Cuevas will be available to discuss the program, its expansion as well as the phenomenal success of the T.I.P. initiative. ###  Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 10:18:98 Woman of Valor Award Miami (October 18, 1998) - On Sunday October 18, 1998, the Greater Miami Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women will present its first Woman of Valor Awards to State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and County Judge Amy Karan. The award is given in honor of the advocacy and courage of these two women and community leaders in the fight against domestic violence. Mr. David Lawrence, former Publisher of the Miami Herald will present the award to Ms. Rundle and County Judge Linda Dakis will perform the same honor for Judge Karan. The award itself is an artwork commissioned by the NCJW, designed and executed by Artist Andres Conde of the Goodman Conde Gallery, 4245 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Beach. These awards will be presented during a luncheon, to be held from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at the Alexander Hotel, 5225 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. The Greater Miami Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) will also unveil its latest initiative in furtherance of the fight against domestic violence, "The Silent Witnesses". This program is a domestic violence awareness and educational initiative being conducted nationwide. It involves the creation of life-size silhouettes of women who have been murdered in domestic violence incidents. Each silhouette will feature a small plaque describing the circumstances of their particular, and tragic, murder. The Greater Miami Chapter of the NCJW will assume responsibility for the creation and maintenance of 28 of the first 1500 of these "Silent Witnesses" that will be developed and used for educational display purposes at various domestic violence related functions across the country. They are expected to provide compelling, informative images of the domestic violence tragedies that occur everyday in this country. This initiative is just the latest effort by the NCJW to improve the quality of life for all residents of Dade County, with women, children and families as a primary focus. Programs developed by the NCJW in the past have included, the Guardien Ad Litem program, CHARLEE and the Safe Child Project ### Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 10:10:98 Sentencing Guidelines Abolished Miami-Dade Police Department Press Release Florida Criminal Punishment Code Takes Effect on October 1, 1998 Miami (October 10, 1998) - House Bill 241 by Representative Carlos Valdes takes effect on October 1, 1998, abolishing the Sentencing Guidelines and replacing them with the Florida Criminal Punishment Code. This new law should prove beneficial to Dade County in that longer sentences for offenders should provide a decrease in the number of criminal incidents for each additional day these offenders are imprisoned. Major George Aylesworth of the Miami-Dade Police Department drafted the original HB 241, which proposed the abolition of the Sentencing Guidelines, for Representative Valdes, a longtime advocate for the abolition of the flawed Sentencing Guidelines system. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and her staff then drafted a modification of the bill that retained the appropriate goal of the original bill, to remove arbitrary limits on maximum sentences, but also set minimum standards, below which defendants cannot be sentenced. These efforts were supported by the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association. Together, these law enforcement groups worked with Representative Valdes to pass this comprehensive bill to abolish the Sentencing Guidelines and replace them with this new and more strict sentencing structure, now known as the Florida Criminal Punishment Code. The Sentencing Guidelines, which had been in existence since 1983, were responsible for inadequate sentences for convicted criminals, a cause of great concern and dissatisfaction to the public and law enforcement officials. The new Criminal Punishment Code allows for longer, more meaningful sentences, and represents a dramatic change in the way Florida treats convicted offenders. Under this new system of punishment, judges will no longer be constrained to impose inadequate sentences between arbitrary upper and lower limits, but will be able to impose sentences up to the statutory maximum. There are, however, minimum sentencing levels specified for various offenses. Representative Carlos Valdes and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle were also instrumental in securing other important changes in the laws regarding sentencing such as the requiring offenders to serve at least 85% of the sentences. Coupled with the Florida Criminal Punishment Code, these sentencing provisions should provide greater safety from criminals for everyone in the state. ### Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 08:31:98 State Attorney's Bad Check Restitution Program Miami (August 31, 1998) - State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announces that on Monday, August 31, her office will be starting the State Attorney's Bad Check Restitution Program. This new program is being initiated in order to more effectively assist victims of people who issue bad checks. This program is the result of a public/private partnership with American Corrective Counseling Services (ACCS). Together the State Attorney's Office and ACCS have established the State Attorney's Bad Check Restitution Program to provide more effective training, reporting, and restitution efforts to assist both individuals and businesses who have received bad checks. This innovative partnership will also enable the State Attorney's office to help more victims without any additional cost to the victims or the taxpayers. The goal of this partnership is to help merchants and citizens recover as much of their worthless check losses as possible. While the State Attorney's Office has long made this effort, this new partnership increases the number of complaints that can be accepted. An outreach and educational campaign for local merchants was started last week in anticipation of the August 31 start-up. Fees assessed to the check writers will generate the revenue needed to fund the program. In addition to paying program fees and restitution to the victim, offenders will be required to attend and successfully complete a special 8-hour class. These classes will be run by ACCS's trained personnel. The class will focus on behavior modification, with an emphasis on personal responsibility and recognition of rationalizations that perpetuate worthless check writing. Basic issues such as managing a checkbook, the law, communication, managing stress, and budgeting will also be part of the curriculum. In this way the program aims to prevent repeat offenses by the program participants. The State Attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, is enthusiastic about the State Attorney's Bad Check Restitution Program because, "it creates the opportunity for my office to assist a greater number of victims who have suffered as a result of receiving bad checks without further burdening the courts, tax payers or the resources of my public office. It is through innovative partnerships with private industry, like this one, that we are able to continually improve the success of this office in protecting everyone in our community from criminals." ### Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 08:19:98 Miami City Commissioner Humberto Hernandez Adjudicated Guilty Miami (August 19, 1998) - State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announces that former Miami City Commissioner Humberto Hernandez was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 364 days in the county jail at a sentencing hearing earlier today. Mr. Hernandez was found guilty of Accessory After the Fact to Voter Fraud by a Miami-Dade County jury last Friday, August 14, 1998. The sentence imposed by Circuit Court Judge Robert Piniero was the sentence requested by the State Attorney's Office and is the maximum penalty under the law for that crime. Mr. Hernandez was adjudicated guilty which means that he is a convicted criminal whose record will permanently reflect that fact. In addition, prosecutors have requested that the Judge assess $60,000 in investigative and prosecution costs for this case. His responsibility for those costs will be determined by the court at a future hearing. Ms. Rundle said that, "I am pleased with this sentence because of the gravity of the crime in terms of its impact on this community. This crime helped cause the invalidation of a mayoral election which shattered the people's faith in the fairness of our elective process, and held the community up to national ridicule as a hotbed of corruption. The jury's guilty verdict, and the Court's sentence, shows that this community does not passively accept corruption as part of the way business is done or elections are held. The end of this trial marks the completion of only the first step in law enforcement's effort to eliminate fraud in our government and our elections." ### Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 08:17:98 Livan Hernandez Miami (August 17, 1998) - State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announces the completion of her office's investigation into allegations of domestic violence against Livan Hernandez. The investigation has resulted in a negotiated resolution of the case. As a result of this negotiated resolution, the State Attorney's Office will file a single count of battery against Mr. Hernandez. Subsequently, Mr. Hernandez will enter into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program with the following special conditions which he will be required to successfully complete:
This negotiated conclusion was reached with the full participation and agreement of the victim in this matter. Mr. Hernandez will appear in court on a date to be determined. ### Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 07:15:98 State Attorney's Office Hosts Forum on Water Management and Restoration Miami (July 15, 1998) - The Dade State Attorney's Office, and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle are hosting a forum on the issue of water management and restoration entitled "Water for Our Future". The forum, moderated by the Nature Conservancy, will be held in conference rooms S418 & S419, at the Dade State Attorney's Office, 1350 NW 12th Avenue, Miami, FL, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM this afternoon. This event will address issues related to financing the maintenance of our water ecology, allocating the scarce resource, and the impact of growth and development on the future of our water supply. The forum, part of a larger series of discussions on the issue of water resource management, is intended as a comprehensive discussion of essential water management issues related to the future of the State's water supply. This meeting will be attended by representatives of State regulatory agencies, private environmental organizations, developers, neighborhood associations, local government, scientific groups, agricultural interests as well as law enforcement agencies. This cross section of interested persons and groups exemplifies the comprehensive nature of this forum as well as its desire to produce a sound water policy, shaped by all of the competing concerns and needs represented within our diverse State. ###
Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 06:23:98 State Attorney's Office to Receive Award in Recognition of its Efforts in the Field of Public Corruption Miami (June 23, 1998) - Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle today announces that the South Florida Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) will recognize the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office as the organization's "Public Service Agency of the Year". The award, which will be presented at the South Florida Chapter's annual installation luncheon at the Country Club of Coral Gables, on June 24, 1998, is being given to the State Attorney's Office, "In recognition of its ongoing investigations of corruption in public service and efforts in ethics in the forefront of the public arena." Joe Centorino, Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, will accept the award on behalf of Ms. Rundle and the State Attorney's Office. Said State Attorney Rundle, "I am proud of the work that my office has done in the field of public corruption and in restoring the people's faith in the fair and ethical operation of government. I am also grateful for the recognition that the American Society for Public Administration has given my office, and those of my assistants who work in the field fighting corruption. We will continue our effort to set standards for good and fair government." ###
Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 06:10:98 State Attorney's Office and Miami-Dade Police Department Announce Arrest in Investigation of County Paving & Striping Contract Miami (June 10, 1998) - Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle today announces the arrest of Antonio J. Reyes, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Thermoplastic & Signs, Inc., in connection with a joint investigation by the State Attorney's Office and the Miami-Dade Police Department Public Corruption Unit. Reyes surrendered to investigators from the Miami-Dade Police Department and the State Attorney's Office at Miami-Dade headquarters at 9:00 AM, this morning. The investigation, headed by Chief Assistant State Attorney Gertrude Novicki, for Special Investigations, SAO Investigator Harvey Wasserman and Miami-Dade Detective John LeClair, uncovered numerous circumstances wherein Reyes and his company submitted bills, under the County's paving contract, with Church & Tower, for roadway striping work that was never done. Reyes' company was hired as a sub-contractor under the County contract to do this work and submitted invoices for payment to the Contractor, and ultimately the County. These instances of over billing resulted in an overpayment by the County in excess of $1,000,000. Reyes has been charged with 32 counts of Grand Theft 2nd degree, 1 count of Grand Theft 3rd degree, as well as 1 count of Organized Scheme to Defraud, a 1st degree felony. The maximum penalty, if convicted of all charges, is 515 years in State Prison. Said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, "This community expects not only its politicians, but those who want the privilege of doing business with government, to behave legally. The actions of this business and its Chief Operating Officer amounted to nothing less than an intolerable theft from the public. Those who use their relationship with government to steal from the public will be brought to justice." The investigation continues and additional arrests are anticipated. ###
Donald R. Ungurait (305) 547-0535 04:02:98 Two More Arrests Made by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Dade County State Attorney's Office in the Ongoing Investigation into Absentee Ballot Voter Fraud Miami (April 2, 1998) - Special agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with investigators from the Dade County Stale Attorney's Office, have arrested two more people as part of the continuing investigation into the absentee ballot voter fraud. Rene Alfonso, 45, of 1507 S.W. 137th Place in Miami-Dade County was arrested today on 10 counts of voter fraud. He was charged with two counts of false swearing, four counts of fraud in connection with 8 vote and four counts of an unqualified elector willfully voting. While investigating absentee ballot voter fraud, authorities discovered that Alfonso had changed his address to a city residence to enable him to vote by absentee ballot in the November 1, 1997 race. The address Alfonso used to vote by absentee ballot was 161 SW. 25th Road in the Roads section of Miami. Investigators also arrested Albertina "Betty" Hernandez, 54, of 1565 SW 12th Ave. and charged her with accessory after the fact to enter fraud, fabricating evidence and conspiracy to fabricate evidence. Authorities said Hernandez is accused of fabricating documents relating to the falsification of absentee voting addresses. Today's arrests mark the fifth and sixth arrests made in this investigation, which began last November. Additional arrests are expected in this ongoing case. According to Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, "These arrests are part of the ongoing voter fraud investigation which tainted our previous election. The citizens of Miami-Dade County demand clean government and fair elections. This investigation will continue until we can assure them that each honest citizen's vote will count, unblemished by fraud. The State Attorney's Office and the FDLE are intent upon achieving that goal for our community." ### |
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