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title: DOJ Epstein Files, Data Set 9 (EFTA00189811)
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United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida

NEWS BRIEFING

To:

Acting United States Attorney
Vacant, First Assistant
	Executive Assistant
	Special Counsel
	Chief, Criminal Division
	Deputy Chief, Criminal Division
	Chief, Appellate Division
	Chief, Asset Forfeiture Division
	Chief, Civil Division
	Chief, PINS
	Chief, Narcotics
	Chief, Economic and Environmental Crimes Section
	Chief, Major Crimes Section
	Chief, Special Prosecutions
	Deputy Chief, Ft. Lauderdale
	Deputy Chief, West Palm Beach
	Deputy Chief, Ft. Pierce

From:

June 11, 2009

EFTA00189811

Southern District of Florida - Press Release

The United States Attorney's Office

Page 1 of 1

Southern District of Florida

Press Release

MIAMI RETURN PREPARER PLEADS GUILTY TO TAX PREPARATION FRAUD SCHEME

June 10, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, announced that defendant Beaudelaire Telfort, 37, of Miami, pled guilty today to one count of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return, in violation of Title 26, United States Code 7206(2). Telfort remains on bond pending sentencing. Sentencing is scheduled for August 19, 2009 at 9:30 AM, before U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia Altonaga. At sentencing, Telfort faces up to three years’ imprisonment and mandatory restitution.

According to court documents, Telfort managed his own business, Nation Tax 1, in Miami, where he prepared tax returns for other individuals and filed them electronically with the IRS. Telfort received fees in connection with the preparation and filing of those returns. On April 24, 2009, a twenty-six count indictment was unsealed against the defendant charging him with tax fraud charges. As set forth in the Indictment, Telfort was charged with assisting in the preparation of false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns (Forms 1040) for numerous individuals during calendar tax years 2002 and 2003. The tax returns contained false information regarding wages, income and withholding amounts. In total, the fraudulent tax filings sought more than $80,061 in fraudulent tax refunds.

During the plea hearing, Telfort admitted to preparing and filing a tax return for a client in which he misrepresented the client’s wages and income, and the amount of federal taxes withheld. Telfort also admitted to filing a fictitious W-2 form with said return, which suggested that the client had worked for a second employer and earned a salary working for that employer. The material misrepresentations resulted in a claimed tax refund that was significantly greater than what the client was legitimately entitled to receive.

Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph B. Shumofsky.

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 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE: The United States Attorney's Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, FL. 33132.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls/PressReleases/090610-01.html

6/11/2009

EFTA00189812

Campos, Cyndee (USAFLS)

Subject:

FW: Article - South Florida Business Journal

Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 3:31pm EDT | Modified: Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 3:38pm

Tax preparer pleads guilty to fraud

South Florida Business Journal

The owner of a Miami tax preparation business pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of tax fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

In April, Beaudelaire Telfort, 37, was hit with a 26-count indictment in which he was charged with assisting in the preparation of fake tax returns for clients in 2002 and 2003 totaling $80,061.

Telfort, who owned Nation Tax 1, admitted to misrepresenting a client's wages and income and to filing a fictitious W-2 form.

Telfort face up to three years in prison and restitution. Sentencing is set for Aug. 19.

Jennifer Wroblewski

Special Agent / Alternate Public Information Officer

Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation

Office: 954-423-7897

Cell: 305-986-9485

Fax: 954-423-7888

EFTA00189813

Campos, Cyndee (USAFLS)

Subject:

FW: NEWS RELEASE: TWO JAMAICAN NATIONALS, INCLUDING JAMAICAN FUGITIVE, CAPTURED AND CHARGED ON IMMIGRATION CHARGES

June 10, 2009

NEWS RELEASE:

TWO JAMAICAN NATIONALS, INCLUDING JAMAICAN FUGITIVE, CAPTURED AND CHARGED ON IMMIGRATION CHARGES

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Investigations, announced the arrest of defendant Omar Oneal Lewis, 33, a Jamaican national wanted by the Jamaican government as one of their 10 “most wanted” fugitives in connection with a 2008 homicide.

Lewis was arrested on June 8, 2009, by ICE special agents in Miami, working with the Lauderhill Police Department. Lewis was considered the 6th most wanted fugitive in Jamaica. ICE agents also arrested Michael Montaque, 25, also a Jamaican national. Both men were residing in the South Florida area and both were charged with having illegally re-entered the U.S. after having been deported. If convicted, Lewis faces up to two years in prison and Montaque faces up to 10 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sloman stated, "Foreign fugitives cannot run and hide on our soil for long. Thanks to the outstanding work of ICE and the Lauderhill Police Department, one such fugitive will be brought to justice."

"I'm proud of the hard work and diligence of our special agents for tracking down and apprehending these criminals," said Anthony Mangione, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Miami. "Apprehending dangerous foreign fugitives hiding in the United States is a top priority of ICE and now, not only has this illegal alien been removed from the streets of South Florida, but he will eventually be removed from the United States to face justice in Jamaica."

Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of ICE's Office of Investigations in Miami and the Lauderhill Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Lorraine Tashman.

EFTA00189814

Jamaican fugitive faces immigration charges - 06/10/2009 - MiamiHerald.com

Page 1 of 1

The Miami Herald

Posted on Wed, Jun. 10, 2009

Jamaican fugitive faces immigration charges

The Associated Press

Authorities in South Florida say they've captured a Jamaican fugitive connected to a 2008 homicide.

The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 33-year-old Omar Oneal Lewis Monday in Miami. Officials say Lewis is considered the sixth most wanted fugitive in Jamaica. At the same time, ICE agents also arrested 25-year-old Michael Montaque.

Both men have been charged with illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported. Under U.S. law, Lewis faces up to two years in prison and Montaque, a convicted felon, faces up to 10.

Besides the charges they face in the U.S., ICE officials say they will eventually be deported and will likely face additional charges in Jamaica.

http://www.

html

6/11/2009

EFTA00189815

Suspected killer wanted in Jamaica arrested in Lauderhill -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-lauderhill-fugitive-arrest-b061009,0,4655364.story

Page 1 of 1

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Suspected killer wanted in Jamaica arrested in Lauderhill

By Joel Marino

SunSentinel.com

7:01 PM EDT, June 10, 2009

LAUDERHILL

One of Jamaica's most wanted criminals - an accused killer who goes by the street name "King of Evil" - was arrested in Lauderhill on Monday by police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Omar Oneal Lewis, 33, was charged with illegally re-entering the country after having been deported. Lewis was deported to Jamaica in 2006 and should not have been living in Florida, according to court records.

Jamaican authorities have been looking for Lewis since 2008, when they say he killed a man named Richard Reid that June, according to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. He was placed on a top 10 most wanted list by Jamaica's law enforcement agencies. Details of that case were not immediately available.


Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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EFTA00189816

Jamaican fugitive faces immigration charges

PalmBeachPost.com | Search

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## Jamaican fugitive faces immigration charges

MIAMI — Authorities in South Florida say they've captured a Jamaican fugitive connected to a 2008 homicide.

The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 33-year-old Omar Oneal Lewis Monday in Miami. Officials say Lewis is considered the sixth most wanted fugitive in Jamaica. At the same time, ICE agents also arrested 25-year-old Michael Montaque.

Both men have been charged with illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported. Under U.S. law, Lewis faces up to two years in prison and Montaque, a convicted felon, faces up to 10.

Besides the charges they face in the U.S., ICE officials say they will eventually be deported and will likely face additional charges in Jamaica.

June 10, 2009 - 6:37 p.m. EDT

Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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6/11/2009

EFTA00189817

JUN.11.2009 10:03AM USAO WPB FL

NO.797 P.1

THE PALM BEACH POST • THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009

Judge delays ruling on request to unseal plea deal in sex case

By SUSAN SPENCER-WENDEL

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

WEST PALM BEACH — A circuit judge on Wednesday did not unseal the deal that money manager Jeffrey Epstein of Palm Beach struck with federal prosecutors to avoid charges, opting instead to give Epstein's lawyers

a chance to demonstrate why it should remain hidden from public view.

Circuit

Judge Jeff

Colbath acknowledged at a hearing that Epstein's deal was not sealed in state court in accordance with the rules.

Epstein

"I don't see where any of the procedures were ever followed," he said.

Colbath has given Epstein's defense attorney, Jack Goldberger, an opportunity to argue that the document was properly sealed and asked lawyers to submit briefs to him by Friday. Colbath also set a full hearing for June 25.

Attorneys for young

women now suing Epstein are asking Colbath to unseal the deal that Epstein brokered with federal prosecutors. A lawyer for The Palm Beach Post also has joined in the request.

"It's a secret agreement. A secret, sweetheart agreement," said former Circuit Judge Bill Berger, who now represents some of the women.

"Everybody was in on this deal except the victims and the public," Berger said. "The public should be outraged it has gone as far as it has."

A second attorney representing the women, Brad Edwards, has seen the sealed document. A federal judge allowed him and his clients to view it, but not to discuss its contents.

Edwards said the women were "outraged" at what had been negotiated without their knowledge. A reporter asked Edwards if he thought Epstein received special treatment by federal prosecutors.

"Are you kidding? It's transparent. Certainly no

one else gets treated like that." Edwards said.

Epstein, 56, a reported money manager of billionaires, is currently serving an 18-month sentence in the Palm Beach County Stockade after pleading guilty nearly a year ago in state court to felony solicitation of prostitution and procuring teenagers for prostitution.

The saga began years ago when the Palm Beach Police Department began investigating whether young women were being brought to Epstein's mansion on El Brillo Way to massage him and have sex with him in exchange for money.

Epstein's attorneys, in federal filings, have referred to sealed documents as a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors and have called it "unprecedented" and "highly unusual."

Goldberger said his client has not received any special treatment.


susan_spencer_

wendel@pbpost.com

EFTA00189818

Miami skipper in lobster poaching case can't fish for two years

Page 1 of 2

PalmBeachPost.com

Miami skipper in lobster poaching case can't fish for two years

By BRITTANY LEVINE

The Miami Herald

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Two more of the six defendants in one of the largest lobster-poaching cases in the Florida Keys were sentenced Wednesday.

Robert Hammer, a well-known Miami charter boat captain and principal figure in the case, was sentenced to two months in prison, six months of house arrest and placed on two years of probation. During his probation, the 45-year-old is banned from fishing commercially or for pleasure near South Florida waters.


story below

Sean Reyngoudt of Summerland Key, an aspiring professional kite surfer with a prosthetic leg who played a minor role in the poaching, got four years of probation. He, too, was banned from fishing.

More Florida news

Latest state headlines

P.B. County, TCoast news

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The two were charged in a federal grand jury indictment last year with the illegal harvest of about 6,000 lobsters from man-made habitats called casitas placed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The lobsters were stored in a freezer at the million-dollar home of the scheme's kingfish, David Dreifort, 41.

Dreifort, a commercial fisherman — who Hammer called the "largest lobster poacher in the Keys" in court documents — and his wife, Denise, are scheduled for sentencing July 17. Both could face a maximum of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Using casitas to harvest lobsters dirties the ocean and could have a negative effect on lobster migration and reproduction, wildlife experts said.

Hammer said he plans never to fish again. He has sold his boat and will work for his wife's company, Humane Animal Removal, after serving his time. He will most likely serve the prison time at a South Florida facility close to his wife and children.

Reyngoudt, 25, said getting involved with Dreifort was "the worst choice I've ever made in my life" and plans to continue kite surfing.

The first of five to plead guilty, John Niles, 50, of LaBelle, was spared jail time in return for his cooperation. In April, Michael Delph, 39, of Key West — son of legendary charter boat captain Ralph Delph and the only one to http://palmbeachpost.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Miami+skipper+in+lobster+p... 6/11/2009

EFTA00189819

Miami skipper in lobster poaching case can't fish for two years plead not guilty — was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Page 2 of 2

The six were arrested in August on opening day of lobster season after federal agents caught all, minus Reyngoudt, returning to Dreifort's Cudjoe Key home with 922 lobsters. Agents called the case Operation Freezer Burn.

Find this article at:


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2009/06/11/0611_lobster.html

Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article.

EFTA00189820

Miami skipper in lobster poaching case can't fish for two years - 06/11/2009 - MiamiHerald.com

Page 1 of 1

The Miami Herald

Posted on Thu, Jun. 11, 2009

Miami skipper in lobster poaching case can't fish for two years

BY BRITTANY LEVINE

blevine@MiamiHerald.com

Two more of the six defendants in one of the largest lobster-poaching cases in the Florida Keys were sentenced Wednesday.

Robert Hammer, a well-known Miami charter boat captain and principal figure in the case, was sentenced to two months in prison, six months of house arrest and two years of probation. During his probation, the 45-year-old is banned from fishing commercially or for pleasure near South Florida waters.

Sean Reyngoudt of Summerland Key, an aspiring professional kite surfer with a prosthetic leg who played a minor role in the poaching, got four years of probation. He, too, was banned from fishing.

Dreifort, a commercial fisherman -- who Hammer called the "largest lobster poacher in the Keys" in court documents -- and his wife, Denise, are scheduled for sentencing July 17. Both could face a maximum of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Using casitas to harvest lobsters dirties the ocean and could have a negative effect on lobster migration and reproduction, wildlife experts said.

Reyngoudt, 25, said getting involved with Dreifort was "the worst choice I've ever made in my life" and plans to continue kite surfing.

The first of five to plead guilty, John Niles, 50, of LaBelle, was spared jail time in return for his cooperation. In April, Michael Delph, 39, of Key West -- son of legendary charter boat captain Ralph Delph and the only one to plead not guilty -- was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

6/11/2009

EFTA00189821

Feds get tough on mortgage fraud - 06/11/2009 - MiamiHerald.com

Page 1 of 2

The Miami Herald

Posted on Thu, Jun. 11, 2009

Feds get tough on mortgage fraud

By MONICA HATCHER

McClatchy Newspapers

To neighboring residents, the string of rapid-fire sales at a Coral Gables home was emblematic of the cause and consequences of South Florida's housing bust. The four-bedroom house, now vacant and deteriorating, was sold, bought and foreclosed on three times in less than three years.

Neighbors always suspected "something wasn't right with the milk" at 330 Alesio Avenue as the value of the home more than doubled to $1.2 million in the short time span. It turns out they were on to something.

Last week a federal judge sentenced Jose G. Martin, who had once posed as a renter in the home, to 65 months in prison for orchestrating a $6.6 million mortgage fraud scheme involving the Alesio property and six other homes in Miami-Dade County.

In all, prosecutors say he pocketed $1 million - $450,000 alone from his machinations at 330 Alesio. He used the money to pay off co-conspirators and enrich himself.

Martin's sentence, which came on Wednesday, is a sign the federal government is taking a tougher stance against people who commit mortgage fraud - a crime once so pervasive that it played a role in bringing about the current economic crisis.

Average sentences for mortgage fraud convictions have increased from 24 months since 2004 to between 50 and 55 months currently, according to Rachel Dollar, a California-based attorney who specializes in fraud recovery litigation.

And, they're expected to soon get harsher. Last month, Congress passed new legislation strengthening prosecutors' ability to fight fraud and promised new funding for more agents, analysts and investigators.

TASK FORCE

It also created a nationwide mortgage fraud task force modeled after a task force in Miami-Dade County, where mortgage scammers such as Martin ran amok during the housing boom.

Despite his stiff sentence, the Alesio neighbors said it wasn't long enough - considering the harm mortgage fraud has done to South Florida's housing market and the national economy.

"I'm happy someone got punished for it, but maybe they didn't go up high enough. It's criminal what the banks and mortgage companies were allowed to get away with," said Fred Hermes, who lives across the street. Yolanda Feanny, a few doors down, also blamed the banks for allowing Martin to so easily rip them off.

But now lenders are subjecting loans to rigorous underwriting in an effort to fight fraud and avoid future losses.

The message currently telegraphed is that people who committed mortgage fraud during the boom should be expecting a knock on their doors, said Michael Sichenzia, president of Deerfield Beach-based Dynamic Consulting, a loss mitigation and real estate analytics firm.

6/11/2009

EFTA00189822

Feds get tough on mortgage fraud - 06/11/2009 - MiamiHerald.com

Page 2 of 2

```markdown

'CLEAR MANDATE'


"Law enforcement has been given a clear mandate to go after mortgage fraud and prosecute people to the fullest extent of the law," Sichenzia said. "This is going to be like the war on drugs 20 years ago because the government has to send a message that this will not be tolerated."

Eric Bustillo, who heads the economic crimes section for the U.S. attorney's office in Miami, said the office began attacking the problem early. In 2007, it joined forces with state law enforcement to step up investigations and prosecutions. Then, last year, it formed a separate strike force of teams from other federal agencies to enhance efforts.

In two years, the office has charged 176 people with mortgage fraud, convicting 120 of them. But with new, labor-intensive cases pouring in almost daily, Bustillo said the office is asking for more resources to tackle pending investigations, which have exploded by 600 percent.

As for the house at 330 Alesio Avenue, neighbors said they suspected wrongdoing for a long time. "It just kept changing hands," said Linda Marquis, who lives across the street with her husband, Fred Hermes.

Martin, prosecutors said, was running a classic straw borrower scheme, in which he recruited and paid thousands of dollars to three stand-in buyers to purchase 330 Alesio and other homes in Miami using fraudulent papers. Few, if any, payments were ever made on the loans that totaled $6.6 million, and $2.6 million for the Alesio home.

As soon as the properties entered foreclosure, Martin would arrange the next bogus sale. At each closing, he collected on phony invoices for construction work that was never done by his company, Old Martin Construction.

Raphael Piedra and Jose D. Martinez, two of the alleged straw borrowers, also have been charged, but remain fugitives. A third straw borrower, Samuel Morejon pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 months in jail.

"Fraud was everywhere you turned," said Sichenzia, who himself served three years in federal prison for mortgage securities fraud between 2003 and 2005, but now helps law firms and lenders ferret out malfeasance.

"If I look at 100 transactions month, 90 percent of them have one aspect or more of a misrepresentation in the documents," he said.

The house at 330 Alesio doesn't appear to be worth anywhere near its last sale price of $1.2 million. The lawn is overrun with weeds. Thieves long ago stripped the place of its appliances and fixtures.

"My handyman was here and he said he wouldn't give them more than $200,000 for it, it's going to need so much work," Marquis said.

© 2009 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miamiherald.com

6/11/2009

EFTA00189823

2 in St. Lucie County arrested in counterfeiting scheme : TCPalm.com

Page 1 of 1

PRINTER-FRIENDLY STORY

READ MORE AT WWW.TCPALM.COM

# 2 in St. Lucie County arrested in counterfeiting scheme

By The Palm Beach Post

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

FORT PIERCE — It wasn't burnt breakfast St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office detectives smelled Tuesday morning when they knocked on the apartment door in the 6500 block of Yedra Avenue.

Instead, it was burnt counterfeit money, and Brenda Hopkins, 46, and Ronald Jensen, 51, are facing charges of counterfeiting money and possessing the tools for counterfeiting money, a news release from the Sheriff's Office states. Jensen faces an additional charge for destroying evidence.

About 7:44 a.m. Tuesday, Sheriff's Office detectives and U.S. Marshals were serving a felony petit theft arrest warrant for Hopkins, when she ran out of the back sliding door and was caught by law enforcement officers, the arrest affidavit states.

After entering the apartment, a detective smelled an odor and heard Jensen making noises in the bathroom. The detective found burnt $20 bills inside the toilet bowl and a stack of folded $20 bills on the back of the toilet, the news release states. Detectives found at total of $1,680 in counterfeit $20 bills, $43 in bleached $1 bills, and one bleached $5 bill, the release states.

Jensen and Hopkins have requested an attorney, the release states. As of Wednesday afternoon, Hopkins was in St. Lucie County Jail in lieu of $41,000 bail, jail records show. Jensen was released on $15,000 bail on Tuesday evening, jail records show.

```markdown

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http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jun/10/2-st-lucie-county-arrested-counterfeiting-scheme/?printer=1/ 6/11/2009

EFTA00189824

ShareThis Reprints & Permissions Print

Page 1 of 4

Federal Vacancies

Women, minorities apply in record numbers, spurred by the Obama factor

June 11, 2009

By: John Pacenti

he sea change in the White House seemed to signal to women and minority lawyers in South Florida that their time is now as they considered openings for federal judge and U.S. attorney in the Obama administration.


Web Extra:

List of applicants

Hispanic and black candidates populate both lists, and women make up half of the 20 applicants vying for the seat vacated when U.S. District Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley in West Palm Beach took senior status in February.

Gregory Samms, a black attorney who runs a Coral Gables law firm, said Obama's victory in November encouraged qualified minority candidates to believe they would be evaluated fairly.

"Before, we couldn't even get on the field. Now, we feel at least we can get on the field," Samms said.

"I think the fact Obama was successful is encouraging more minorities to apply for these positions."

The diversity of applicants comes after criticism of the makeup of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for a lack of women and minorities.

Attorney Marva Wiley, president of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women's Bar Association, said she is happy to see the attention paid to the commission's makeup didn't discourage women or minorities from applying.

U.S. Attorney and federal bench applicants


good sign people feel the process is going to merit their participation," Wiley said. "Sometimes

It's a good sigh people feel the process is going to merit their participation, Wiley said. Sometimes people take themselves out of the game early because of what they perceive issues to be. It is encouraging to see that they put names in the hat to see what the outcome will be."

The JNC will cut the list of applicants for individual public interviews set for mid-July. Three names for each position will be forward to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who will recommend a nominee to Obama after another round of interviews.

"We are talking about a district which has never had an African-American U.S. attorney, a district — with an exception of a temporary appointment — that has never had a woman as a U.S. attorney," said Guy Lewis, a former U.S. attorney who is now a partner with Lewis Tein in Miami. "You look at the minority candidates, and they are strong candidates — former and current partners and judges."

Among the minority applicants to succeed U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta are three black judges: Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes, head of the criminal division; Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Daryl Trawick; and Palm Beach County Court Judge Reginald Corlew. Hispanics Wilfredo Ferrer, an assistant Miami-Dade County attorney, and Lilly Ann Sanchez, a criminal litigator with Fowler White Burnett in Miami, also have put their names in the hopper.

“It’s great there is such diversity in the applications we are seeing this year,” said Charles Lichtman, an attorney with Berger Singerman and legal counsel for the Florida Democratic Party. “There are certainly terrific minority candidates and female candidates and to be sure male candidates. I see it extremely difficult to pare the list down.”

Roland Sanchez-Medina, president of the Cuban American Bar Association, agreed the Obama factor appears to be encouraging minorities to apply. "Listen, there's an African-American man in the White House now," he said.

Obama has made diversity a priority in his appointments. He most recently selected federal judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed by the Senate, she will become the first Hispanic on the high court.

Earlier this month, Acosta accepted the dean position at Florida International University's law school in Miami. The Republican appointee knew his time was limited when Obama was elected. New presidents normally pick their own U.S. attorneys, especially when the party in office changes.

Federal prosecutor Jeffrey Sloman, Acosta's top assistant, has stepped in as interim U.S. attorney to run the 284-attorney district stretching from Key West to Fort Pierce. Sloman applied to become Acosta's permanent replacement along with 15 others.

"There is no more important district in the United States in terms of the types of cases, the number of cases," Lewis said of the Southern District. "L.A. and New York may try to steal the thunder nationally, but the truth is Miami is absolutelv the World Series."

Attorney Lisa Lehner, a board member of the Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, said she was impressed three women applied for the U.S. attorney position.

"This is probably the first I've seen this number of women apply for the U.S. attorney's office," she said. "Women feel they actually have a shot at that one. There never has been a women in that position, and from what I understand, from what I hear, what I feel, that spot has opened for women."

The 20-candidate list to replace Hurley is made up mostly of minorities and women.

Federal Public Defender Kathleen Williams, U.S. Magistrate Robin Rosenbaum and Miami-Dade Circuit Judges Mary Barzee Flores are among the female contenders.

6/11/2009

EFTA00189825

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Some of the minority applicants vying for the bench include U.S. Magistrate Patrick A. White and Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judges Darrin Gayles and Jerald Bagley, who are black; Miami-Dade Circuit Judges Maria D. Ortiz and Peter R. Lopez; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez.

President Bush appointed the last federal judge to the South Florida bench in 2004. Marcia Cooke, a former federal magistrate in Detroit with strong ties to Jeb Bush, became the first black woman appointed a federal judge in the state.

Even though it's important to get minority and women candidates in the mix, Lehner said qualifications matter most.

"These are two very important positions. The selection should be on merit. Nobody is saying the senator or the president should make the ultimate selection based on what group somebody fits in. That is not what this is all about. This is about the best person for the job," she said.

Wiley said she remains "cautiously optimistic" as the selection process begins.

"Folks don't want to get too confident before giving the process a chance to work itself and prove its validity," she said.

John Pacenti can be reached at (305) 347-6638.

Former U.S. Attorney's for The Southern District of Florida:

William Allison McArea – May 1828 – April 1829

John G. Stower – April 1829 – April 1830

John K. Campbell – April 1830 – May 1830

Edward Chandler – May 1830 – Oct. 1834

Adam Gordon – Oct. 1834 – Dec. 1834

Wylie P. Clark – Dec. 1834 – June 1835

William Marvin – June 1835 – March 1839

Charles Walker – March 1839 – July 1840

L. Windsor Smith – July 1840 – Aug. 1842

W. Macrae – Aug. 1842 – March 1847

L. Windsor Smith – March 1847 – Aug. 1850

William R. Hackley – Aug. 1850 – March 1858

John L. Tatum – March 1, 1858 – April 1861

Thomas Jefferson Boynton – April 5, 1861 – Oct. 1863

Homer G. Plantz – Oct. 1863 – Dec. 1869

Claiborn R. Mobley – Dec. 1869 – Aug. 1876

John Tyler – Aug. 1876 – Nov. 1877

B. Patterson – Nov. 1877 – March 1886

Livingstone W. Bethel – March 1886 – April 1890

G. Browne Patterson – April 1890 – July 1894

Owen J.H. Summers – July 1894 – Aug. 1894

Frank Clark – Nov. 1894 – July 1897

Joseph N. Stripling – July 1897 – Dec. 1905

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Name	Date
John M. Cheney – Dec. 1905 – Oct. 1912
Richard P. Marks – Oct. 1912 – June 1913
Herbert S. Phillips – June 1913 – Oct. 1921, June 1936 – Aug. 1953
William M. Gober – Nov. 1921 – April 1929
Wilburn P. Hughes – April 1929 – July 1933
John W. Holland – July 1933 – June 1936
James I. Guilmartin – Aug. 1953 – Dec. 1959
E. Coleman Madsen – Dec. 1959 – April 1961
Edward G. Boardman – April 1961 – Oct. 1962
Edith House – Nov. 1962 – June 1963
William A. Meadows Jr. – June 1963 – Dec. 1969
Michael J. Osman – Dec. 1969
Robert W. Rust – Dec. 1969 – June 1977
Vincent K. Antle – June 1977 – Sept. 1977
Jacob Eskenazi – Sept. 1977 – March 1980
Atlee W. Wampler III – March 1980 – March 1982
Stanley I. Marcus – April 1982 – Aug. 1985
Leon B. Kellner – Aug. 1985 – June 1988
Dexter W. Lehtinen – June 1988 – Jan. 1992
James G. McAdams – Jan. 1992 – May 1992
Roberto Martinez – May 1992 – Sept. 1993
Kendall B. Coffey – Oct. 1993 – May 1996
William A. Keefer – June 1996 – Aug. 1997
Thomas E. Scott – Aug. 1997 – May 2000
Guy A. Lewis – June 2000 – Aug. 2002
Marcos D. Jimenez – Aug. 2002 – June 2005
R. Alexander Acosta – June 2005 – June 2009

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