More revelations about a former street gang member and cooperating witness from the Plantation Cops mortgage fraud trial...

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The Plantation cops federal mortgage fraud trial is getting really interesting, yesterday we learned some really interesting background on one of the defendants charged who has cut a deal and is cooperating with the government.  Here's what our courtroom observer reports to us regarding mortgage broker Rene Rodriguez Jr's checkered past...

Rene was in a gang called circle of sharks he sold cocaine to an undercover officer in Ft Lauderdale.  He witness a stabbing and arson and testified against his fellow gang memebers.  He was arrested for beating up his wife (something him and the case agent share in common), each and every time he made a deal and because his dad was a fed, he made deals with feds and walked each time in this case his dad knew the lead agents boss  fdle SAIC Vic Johnson .

NICE!  So one of the governments key witnesses against the other defendants is a former drug dealing, wife beating gang member.  Funny how the real estate and mortgage business attracted the cream of the crop back during the boom years!!  Now check this comment from Wednesday's post...

Did anybody read the other posts where it says that shrunk down files were presented at the closing.first off you people need to use your own brain,If joe was the brains of the operation why would he let gulla and rodriguez take 3%,and make more money than him.that doesnt sound like the mastermind to me, that sounds more like he was a SUCKER!!!!! Just ask yourself 1 question Why would the mastermind make less money and take more risk??? ANSWER IS a mastermind wouldnt, a PATSY would!!!!!! Also why dont you check rene rodriguez's past. He's a former member of the sharks,a violent gang of older steroid using troublemakers. He got out of that trouble by doing what he's doing now. He's a professional RAT!!!!! He points his finger at other people when the finger should be pointed at him. Why is it so hard to believe that a career criminal might be lying and that a former police officer might be telling the truth! Maybe the BAD people in this are THE BAD PEOPLE!!!!!!! Just in case you need to be hit between the eyes... Matt Gulla & Rene Rodriguez are the BAD PEOPLE!!!

March 30, 2011 8:53 PM

Once again, as the trial progresses it seems like our readers are right on the money.  Back to our courtroom observer...

Yesterday the whole case was hi I'm Rene Rodriguez Joe Guaracino told me to do it.  Which obviously was well coached by the defense.   Today they asked when you were commuting hundreds of frauds in 99-03 before you met Joe who was telling you then.  It was kind of funny.  He admitted today by name that many of the lenders reps.   Were also in on it they knew it and assisted him.  He also stated all of the brokers at family lending group and the lending house and security mortgage where he worked have been committing the same frauds since 99'.  He went on to say yesterday only on joes loans. Today he was asked did you tell the government you made 150k on all your frauds in 06 he said yes then the defense team showed him his deposits into his bank account of close to 1 million for the year, so he was asked did the government know this he said they didn't ask.  So the defense went on to say, So joes deals were only 10% of the business.  He agreed! 

If true, this testimony creates a completely different scenario than what we were presented with before.  Before Mr. Rodriguez took the stand we were led to believe that Joe Guaracino was the ring leader and the rest were his minions who followed his every order.  Based on yesterdays testimony it seems like the mastermind was Mr. Rodriguez and Guaracino and the cop's business was only a small fraction of his overall mortgage fraud business.  

 

I'm not exactly sure what effect this testimony is going to have on the jury, if nothing else the defense team have done one hell of a job destroying every witness that the government has put on the stand.  I can tell you this much, at least in my opinion I'm finding that the real criminals here are the government witnesses not the people that are on trial.