Florida Criminal Lawyer Blog

Former Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty was sentenced by a federal judge in West Palm Beach to 42 months in prison last week. She reportedly cried during her sentencing hearing and accepted full responsibility for her actions. "My carelessness and irresponsibility have humiliated and humbled me. I never thought of myself as a criminal, but I am,” McCarty told the court.

McCarty, who is 54, was taken into custody immediately and is currently being held at the Palm Beach County Stockade. She is expected to be transferred to Miami in the coming weeks. Currently, McCarty is in solitary confinement at the jail, which may be for her own protection, according to Palm Beach criminal attorney William Moore.

The former commissioner pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud, Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer Moore has learned. In her official capacity, she committed white collar crimes to obtain money for herself and her husband. She accepted money in the form of graft and bribes from businesses and individuals. McCarty also engaged in fraudulent transactions involving local bonds.

According to her plea agreement, McCarty admitted that she did not inform the County Commission of her financial conflicts of interest regarding various matters. Instead, she participated fully, and apparently sought results which were financially beneficial to her. In her required financial disclosures, McCarty filed false or incomplete forms in an effort to hide her financial interests in the matters before the Commission.

McCarty’s husband, Lawrence McCarty, was sentenced to eight months in jail and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 for his role in the crimes committed by Mary McCarty.

From the stockade, Mary McCarty is still emailing her supporters, through her sister. She reported that the guards are “professional but kind” and that it is “very cold” in her “frozen cell.” McCarty also lamented that she is missing her 29th wedding anniversary with her husband. She also described the food as particularly bad, noting that she has been losing weight since she was taken into custody, and that she spends her one hour outside of her cell every day making collect phone calls to her family members.

Continue reading "Palm Beach Criminal Attorney – Former County Commissioner on Her Life in Jail" »

Posted by William Ryan Moore | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Fraud

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Broward criminal attorney William Moore knows that theft cases are not always clear-cut. Whether the alleged crime is a simple shoplifting incident, an armed robbery, burglary of an occupied dwelling, dealing in stolen property, or some sort of kleptomaniac rampage, he is prepared to provide reasoned legal counsel for every case. Although ten or fifteen years ago credit card fraud was not unheard of, it has increased significantly in the past few years. In particular, identity theft has spiked, and businesses and consumers have continued to look for new measures to guard against identity theft, as well as solutions for those who fall victim to it. Palm Beach criminal lawyer Moore believes that people who commit identity theft have a myriad of reasons for doing so, depending on the particular person. While some may be motivated by simple greed, and may even launch an entire identity theft and credit card fraud operation, others may simply be unable to afford items that they want or need during a recession, and give into their impulses.

Identity theft has only been a federal crime since 1998, which speaks to the new nature of the problem. Congress decided to act after a man, who was already a felon, stole the name and personal data of another individual. The felon racked up in excess of $100,000 of debt from credit cards in the name of his victim, even securing a mortgage through the FHA program insured by the federal government and purchasing guns and vehicles. Later, the felon filed for bankruptcy in the name of the victim, an act that can destroy a person’s credit for years. The felon even made telephone calls to the victim to harass him. Although the victim and his family were forced to spend thousands of dollars and several years attempting to rectify the situation, they were never awarded restitution. Instead, the felon was convicted of making a false statement to procure a firearm and no other charges. Under the new federal legislation, he would almost certainly face tougher penalties.

Broward criminal lawyer Moore notes that identity theft can begin in many ways: some email users, for example, respond to “phishing” emails, which are bogus messages purporting to be from a financial institution or other trusted business. A link in the email takes the user to a website that looks very similar to the site of the business the user knows. There, the fake website will request personal identifying information from the user. Other culprits can include “preapproved” credit card solicitations, which a criminal rummaging through the trash could locate and take upon himself to activate. If he arranges for the bills to be sent to a different address than the victim’s home, the victim may not become aware of the existence of the account until it is already in default or has been sent to a collections company.

Continue reading "West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyer: Identity Theft and the Age of Technology" »

Posted by William Ryan Moore | Permalink | Email This Post

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The Tallahassee man who was allegedly behind one of South Florida’s biggest check-cashing operations was arrested last week. Florida’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) reports that it has filed over a hundred charges against Christiano Leonardo Gloria. Gloria was allegedly involved in a premium fraud that set up shell construction companies and deceived insurance companies by applying for certificates of insurance on behalf of employees.

This plot gave certificates of insurance dozens of subcontractors and hundreds of employees, many of them undocumented workers. In actuality, none of these employees or subcontractors worked for the shell companies. Instead, they paid a fee to use the certificates of the shell companies.’

Among the shell companies were WM South Florida Construction, which according to the DFS defrauded the Florida Citrus Business and Industries Fund out of more than half a million dollars in premiums. Gloria is accused of laundering payroll money through money transmitters in South Florida.

Arrest made over comp fraud in Florida, Business Insurance, September 5, 2008

Continue reading "Florida Man Arrested for Workers’ Comp Fraud" »

Posted by William Ryan Moore | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Fraud

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