by BocaNewsNow.com Staff • July 21, 2014 7:32
pm
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — Former
Broward Sheriff's Deputy David Benjamin of Boca will spend five years in prison
for his role in the Rothstein scandal.
From the US Attorney's Office:
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for
the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge,
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Donnell Young,
Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal
Investigation (IRS-CI), and Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward County Sheriff’s
Office (BSO), announce that David Benjamin, 48, of Boca Raton, was sentenced
today in Ft. Lauderdale by U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn to five years in
prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Benjamin was also
ordered to pay $22,071.00 in restitution for conspiring to commit crimes in
connection with the operation of the former Fort Lauderdale law firm of
Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler, P.A. (RRA). On May 13, 2014, Benjamin pled
guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion and to violate civil rights, in
violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. At the time of the
offense, Benjamin was a Lieutenant and served as Executive Officer to then
Sheriff Al Lamberti.
When he entered his guilty plea, the defendant
admitted that he utilized his position within BSO unlawfully to further the
interests of RRA, its Chairman and CEO, Scott W. Rothstein, and other persons
associated with Rothstein. Specifically, Benjamin admitted that he received
approximately $185,000 in money and other things of value from Rothstein and
RRA in return for providing his assistance when needed, including arranging
with another deputy to arrest the ex-wife of an attorney who was engaged in a
child custody dispute with her, arranging to use force and threats of force
against the boyfriend of an escort who was threatening to expose the illicit
relationship which existed between the escort and one of the partners at RRA,
and assisting Rothstein in loading cash and jewelry onto a private airplane
which was used by Rothstein to flee to Morocco on October 27, 2009, as the
Ponzi scheme being conducted through RRA was beginning to unravel.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts
of the FBI, IRS-CI and BSO. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio, Paul F. Schwartz, and Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
A copy of this press release may be found on
the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of
Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.