Incredible. There's plenty of people writing about the charges of Grand Theft against former city of Miami commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones getting dropped yesterday, so no need to rehash the story here. The crux of the case against Spence-Jones was the allegation that she forged a letter on former commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler's letterhead authorizing the release of $50,000 to companies controlled by Spence-Jones but during a deposition, Spence-Jones defense attorneys showed a Carey-Shuler a draft copy of the letter with her handwriting on it after which Carey-Shuler changed her story and said that indeed she did sign the letter releasing the funds to Spence-Jones. With that, the state should have thrown out the case against Spence-Jones as the one and only witness for the prosecution made an admission that destroyed the states case, even worse, the letter with Carey-Shuler's handwriting on it came from the states own case file. Could that state have been hiding the letter from Spence-Jones then somehow forgot to remove it from the discovery file handed over to the defense? Certainly a posibility. Or could the state have had the letter all along and simply over looked it? Unlikely in my opinion.
Regardless, as we all know, the state forged ahead with the case after this fatal blow was struck to their case and we were even lead to believe that despite the lack of evidence against Spence-Jones that the state was going to move forward and take the case to trial. Now that the charges have been dropped, the public corruption prosecutor on the case, Richard Scruggs, addresses the matter of the handwritten Carey-Shuler letter that exonerated Spence-Jones in the cases close out memo by suggesting that the defense team somehow slipped the letter into the boxes of evidence that they were allowed to examine after Spence-Jones was arrested. Take a look at this excerpt from the close out memo...
Really? Is that the best veteran prosecutor Richard Scruggs could do? Spence-Jones and her attorney played some elaborate game to get the states records custodian out of the room so that they could slip this letter in? He's laying the blame for this bungled case at the feet of the defense somehow magically getting this letter into his case file? That's an unbelievable statement and hopefully grounds for a serious bar complaint against the prosecutor. You can read the states close out memo in it's entirety here...
Michelle Spence-jones Close Out Memo
As if all of this wasn't bad enough, what makes all this even more unbearable are the comments from the Reverend Richard Dunn who was appointed to take over Spence-Jones' commission seat while she was suspended. During several interviews yesterday, Mr. Dunn suggested that although he was appointed then later elected to Spence-Jones' vacant commission seat he would begrudgingly step aside and let her have her job back. There's a minor detail though, tacky zoot suit wearing Reverend Dunn believes that since he was elected (after promising the city of Miami that he wouldn't run for election) that he believed that he was entitled to his $60k per year salary and benefits till 2013! THE FUCK YOU SAY!?
Honestly, why not? Considering all the other former City of Miami employees that have recently departed with golden parachutes, why shouldn't he get his? Typical Miami bullshit, this is precisely why we're the laughing stock of the nation, if not the world.
Scruggs suggestion that the letter with Carey Schuler's handwriting on it was placed there by the defense will be only a part of what will be a spectacular downfall of both he and Rundle. The letter was in the State's case file...
ReplyDeleteRichard Dunn? What a greedy turd.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, commissioners get $104,000 taxable income.
$59,000 salary
$30,000 expense money
$10,000 vehicle allowance
$3,000 cell phone
Plus a massive pension plan.
Whatever happened to "public service"?
Plus a city SUV and driver.
Low life Dunce Dunn has been seeing so many City of Miami elected officials and employees steal he wants his piece.
ReplyDeleteHello? You were elected to serve the people not so you could rob them blind.
Executive order by the governor has been received at city hall. Spence-Jones has been reinstated as of august 23, 2011. Good luck to Retardado! Good luck Smarmoff! Sayonara Wrong Reverend Dunce and your slimeball chief of staff.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Spence-Jones.
ReplyDeleteIs that a real photo of Dunn or is that suit p-shopped?
ReplyDeleteStraw Buyer,
ReplyDeleteThe State Attorney's Office has no choice but to concoct such a story in their close out memo to deflect attention from the real story in the Michelle Spence-Jones case.
Is Katherine Fernandez-Rundle and the State Attorney's Office corrupt? If Fernandez-Rundle and her Office knew over a year ago that their main material witness and exhibit would not any longer support a prosecution of Spence-Jones of the alleged crime, then why didn't she dropped the charges a year ago?
Based on the allegations made by Richard Scruggs on the close out memo, Spence-Jones's attorney should file a bar complaint against Fernandez-Rundle and Scruggs for prosecutorial misconduct. After all, there is an inference made in the close out memo that Spence-Jones attorney is unethical.
North Observer, I'm with you. Mr Raben is as straight as you can get and has actually mentored one of my dearest friends. The allegations by Scruggs against Peter are disgusting.
ReplyDeleteWhen Spence-Jones was a lowly Affirmative Action staffer to disgraced Mayor Diaz she barely avoided being fired for running an illegal side business from Diaz's office. She was extorting NET offices to hire bands she represented.
ReplyDeleteLook in her personnel file for the evidence, provided she did not tamper with her file.
After her controversial Mercy Hospital vote she was driving a new Range Rover. Thank you Jorge Perez and Rosario Kennedy.
"How could an ethical attorney let alone a prosecutor be allowed to irreversibly smear the reputation of a public figure like that with unfounded allegations" , funny i thought thats the way everything happens in dade...Kathy Rundle, I'll drink to that
ReplyDelete@9:38, BURP!
ReplyDeleteIsn't Irreverent Dunn, the same guy, who at a commision mtg said, "that city emp, have to be like Wade, Bosh, James, How they have to give in order to play together.
ReplyDeleteThe level of incompetency at the city adminstration is something not even Hollywood could reproduce. It would be UNBELIVABLE...once again they have mis-managed to the tune of $61 million per your report. But I am sure the taxpayers and less fortunate employees will take the hit.
Removed commissioner Richard Dunn now wants to get paid $100,000 x 3 years while he goes back to his former business? His business of stealing from churches.
ReplyDeleteDunn wants a No-Show job paid for by the taxpayers.