The shit hits the fan, Judge Cohn issues an arrest warrant Attorney Michael Dennis Walsh and the judge that presided over the Bernardo Barrera mortgage fraud case resigns!

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It was one hell of a day yesterday!  First the judge presiding over the Plantation cops mortgage fraud trial issued an arrest warrant for attorney Michael Dennis Walsh for missing the first day of trial and missing the "order to show cause" hearing.  We had been told that Mr. Walsh had a minor heart attack and was hospitalized just before the trial but...

On Monday, Walsh went to South Miami Hospital, but U.S. marshals were unable to find him when they went there to serve him with papers on the hearing set for Tuesday morning, according to authorities.

When the U.S. Marshals couldn't locate Mr. Walsh...

U.S. District Judge James Cohn issued the contempt order. The marshals are now looking for him to serve the warrant. 

YIKES!  The Miami Herald goes into further detail regarding the ugliness of Mr. Walsh's recent circumstances.  We've been told that not only did he suffer a minor heart attack but a nervous breakdown as well.  Hopefully Mr. Walsh is able to recover and represent his client, Mr Guaracino.

On another note, yesterday we also learned that the judge that presided over the Bernardo Barrera mortgage fraud case, Mary Barzee Flores, has decided to resign and go into private practice, from the DBR article...

“The enthusiasm among some in Tallahassee to slash spending on our court system, coupled with the staggering volume of new case filings driven by current economic conditions, poses a grave threat to our society.”

I'll keep my opinions of her honor to myself, but I will say this, it's a sad state of affairs when a City of Miami firefighter makes more (in some cases double) than a circuit court judge!


Lastly, take a moment and checkout today's post on Investigation Miami, from the story...


On the agenda for Thursday's commission meeting.....a request by Michelle Spence-Jones that the city of Miami reimburse her for $113,439.40 of legal fees incurred during her "successful defense of two charges brought against her by the State of Florida."


Can you imagine that?  Now that Spence-Jones has been acquitted in her first criminal case, the taxpayers are on the hook for paying her legal fees!  The word on the street is that the second case against Spence-Jones is about to get dropped before trial (unconfirmed), if the City is responsible for paying her legal tab on the first, they'll certainly be responsible for paying the legal fees on the second as well.  Even if the case doesn't get dropped before trial, can you imagine the jury convicting her in light of the recent revelations of prosecutorial misconduct and the recanting of testimony from the state's key witness?