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| Veldora Arthur |
Reason #1, she's really not that guilty...
On September 30, 2011, defendant ARTHUR was found guilty of three (3) counts out of a five count Superseding Indictment. Specifically, ARTHUR was found guilty of one (1) count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and two counts of mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§1349 and 1341, respectively.Ok, I guess things could have been worse? After all, she was found guilty of three counts rather than five, so she's not as guilty as she could have been?
Reason #2, she's really not that bad of a person and after all...
...it is respectfully submitted that ARTHUR’s history and characteristics (which includeI wonder how all that factored in when she was getting kicked back hundreds of thousands of dollars when she was closing on these fraudulent mortgages?
25 years of service as a firefighter), family circumstances, and need to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparity, warrant a downward departure and/or variance from the sentencing guidelines. Prior to her arrest in connection with this case, ARTHUR, who is an extremely religious woman, had never been accused, arrested, or convicted of any crime.
Reason #3, she's a hard worker...
After graduating from High School in 1982, ARTHUR enrolled at Miami Dade Community College where she took paramedic and EMT courses in the hopes of becoming a firefighter. In 1986, she was hired as the first female firefighter for the City of Miami Fire Department. For more than 25 years, ARTHUR was employed by the Fire Department and held numerous positions including Executive Assistant to the Fire Director and, ultimately, Assistant Fire Chief.Yet somehow after all that hard work and rising to the command staff of the City of Miami Fire department and making close to $300k+ per year, it still wasn't enough.
Reason #4, she did real good in school...
ARTHUR simultaneously attended Barry University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in public administration in 2001.Fantastic.
After obtaining an excellent education and providing 25 years of honorable service and dedication to the City of Miami Fire Department, ARTHUR was relieved of her duties as a result of her arrest in this cause.I beg to differ, she wasn't relieved of her duties, she was simply sent home for nearly a year while on the tax payers dime. Let me know where I can sign up for the same deal. On another note, if she was so dedicated to the fire department, why was she working as a mortgage broker, real estate fraudster, credit repairer, etc? That hardly seems like someone who's dedicated to the Fire Department. Perhaps some of her coworkers down at the Fire department would like to chime in and tell us just how dedicated she really was...
Reason #5, she's worried her son may not be able to get a job...
Additionally, it is significant to note that Arthur’s son expects to graduate as a paramedic in December of next year. Because of the publicity surrounding his mother’s case, he feels it may difficult to find employment in South Florida.And why exactly should that concern the court? Perhaps Ms. Arthur should have taken all that into consideration before she decided to engage in fraudulent activities?
Reason #6, she's not feeling so good...
As noted in the PSI, Defendant ARTHUR is a 46 year old woman with an extensive history of medical conditions, including Sjogren’s Syndrome, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, two herniated discs in her lower back1, hypertensive heart disease, and mitral valve disease.Ok, and? Is being healthy a prerequisite for serving the appropriate prison term? She seemed pretty healthy when I saw her running around in Larry Handfield's office. Again, I have to wonder, was she brought into the fraudulent closings in a wheel chair?
Reason #7, she went to the feds first...
It is respectfully submitted that ARTHUR’s voluntary disclosure to authorities was an act consistent with someone who was not aware that her actions were illegal. It was not a subsequent remedial measure taken by a defendant who is facing imminent prosecution. At the time ARTHUR disclosed her actions and the actions of others to her attorney and to the Government, there was no pending investigation against her. ARTHUR’s candor, which ultimately subjected her not only to criminal liability but to the loss of her freedom, warrants a downward departure from the sentence suggested by the advisory guidelines.No kidding? To me this sounds like someone that's simply won the race to the prosecutors office, not an "act consistent with someone who was not aware that her actions were illegal" but instead the actions of someone who knew they broke the law and was trying to save their own ass.
In summary...
Defendant VELDORA ARTHUR respectfully requests that this Honorable Court sentence her below the advisory guideline range based on her history and characteristics, 25 years of service as a firefighter, family circumstances, and unwarranted sentencing disparity. Additionally, Defendant ARTHUR respectfully requests that a downward departure be granted based on her medical condition and voluntary disclosure of the offense to government authorities.Come on now. I guess her attorneys have to give it a try considering the pile of money they must have gotten from Veldora. I can understand all these wonderful reasons why the court should throw the book at her, but what I can't understand is if all of these things were true, why the hell did Ms. Arthur put herself in this position to begin with? I'll be honest with you, if I was in her shoes, I would have been perfectly content making over $300k+ per year working over at the FD. Easy administrative work, take home car, the best medical coverage money could buy as well as a fantastic pension package. Ms. Arthur finds herself where she is today, behind bars, for one reason, GREED.
Through this amusing narrative and these wonderful excuses her attorneys have provided the court, she's hoping to get her sentence reduced to something in the 24 to 30 month range. I personally hope the court throws the book at her and gives her the maximum sentence of 71 months, if nothing else to send a message to anyone in her former position or anyone else in a cushy government job thinking about doing something as ignorant as she did and in turn throwing away an unreal job that took her 25 years+ to get.
This woman was a firefighter for less than 2 years.after the Woolworth fire she was placed on light duty and NEVER returned to a fire truck or rescue.She was assigned a Cush office job and was never held to any standard of performance.Consistently MIA.Her degree was earned on city time when she was supposed to be working.Her attitude has always been one of entitlement .As the first black female she knew she could get away with lousy work ethic and performance.As for being promoted to chief it should have never happened it was because of her friendship with Kemp. The reason she thought that she could get away with these criminal activities it that she has always gotten a pass .she should get the sentence she deserves and more importantly she should lose her pension
ReplyDeleteAnother great post!
ReplyDeleteCrespo was right when he said she should stop giving money to lawyers.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the best that a prominent lawyer can come up with , I think she's looking at a long sentence.
Thanks Bill!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it seems as though we are all like crabs in a bucket. As soon as we see someone make it to the top we try and pull them down. I’m impartial to the political scandal surrounding Mrs. Authors employment with the fire department however, I think it’s rather pathetic that someone would sit on the internet and bash another person’s accomplishments. Regardless as to how she achieved her goals, she got there. Admittedly, she should have researched, possibly taken some classes, and furthermore educated herself on the real-estate game before deciding to partake. However, I don’t think she deliberately tried to break the law. It’s not logical, if she’s greedy and has a sense of entitlement I don’t think she would participate in anything that; one jeopardizes her integrity , and two caused her to lose this much money. What I do conceptualize is that she was just another victim of someone who had the knowledge and recourses to obtain money and notable community figures such as herself for their disposal. Her greed must not have been to significant, because that would have lead her to do more than participate as a straw buyer for a measly 100k when these brokers where closing million dollar deals. Come on people let’s not be so one track minded that we only focus on what’s in front of us…Be an INDEPENDENT THINKER!!! And most important realize what’s going on its Deeper than Veldora Author and the city of Miami wake up!!
ReplyDeleteWord on the street is she shoulda never passed the city's fire academy but somehow (???) managed to pass! Makes sense she never really worked in the field (to much of a liability) and yet, she gets multiple promotions! So basically because she was the city's first black female firefighter she was able to slide through the system when anyone else that wasnt able to perform the duties they were HIRED to perform would've been fired! But that's typical for the City, instead of hiring the best and brightest they hire by the color of skin. Definately don't want someone that got hired to meet a quota providing care to my loved ones.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 4:23. Says regardless of how she achieved her goals she got there .How she achieved her goals is exactly the issue.Your moral compass needs an adjustment .You call anyone with the temerity to question her "accomplishments " pathetic .Are you serious ? you then go on to say that she should have taken some classes on the real estate game! The woman is a licensed mortgage broker so she knows the law .Then you say she didn't steal enough to jeopardize her integrity .The cases she was tried for we're not her only crimes .She was involved in many schemes .And the woman has no integrity her career has been a complete fraud . I actually knw her and have seen what she is capable of doing to get what she wants .and it's not pretty .You need to inform yourself before going off half cocked and accusing others of not being independent thinkers You might want to take your own advice and actually inform yourself before talking out of your ass.
ReplyDeleteShe should be stripped of her pension and ALL her other benefits.
ReplyDeleteHad this woman not have been black she would have been suspended without pay the moment she was arrested. However,because she was black and the fire chief is black guess what happened, she was suspended with pay. She was right about one thing, she really is pretty stupid when you come right down to it. I wonder how she got into the fire department in the first place, but remember she was working for the city of miami the same government that they dont even require that all employees speak english, and if you lucky enough to be cuban american and know the right people in the city you can have a job that you never have to leave home and still get paid like you were working 40 hours a week. She is a crook who got caught but what about the other crooks in and out of the city of miami who continue to destroy everthing that is good in this city.
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