Latest news with #KatherineFernandezRundle
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Jim speaks with Mayor Javier Fernandez, of the city of South Miami, about his lawsuit challenging Florida immigration law
Jim goes one-on-one with the Mayor of South Miami to talk about his lawsuit challenging Florida immigration law. Guest: Mayor Javier Fernàndez/City of South Miami MIAMI — CBS News Miami's Jim DeFede continues scrutinizing the three-plus decades during which Katherine Fernandez Rundle has led the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. Not doing enough to prosecute public corruption cases has been — according to some — a weakness of Rundle. This week, Jim's guest is South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez.
CBS News
07-07-2025
- CBS News
Charge dropped against Alexander brothers' friend Ohad Fisherman, new alibi evidence cited
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced Monday that her office will not move forward with the prosecution of Ohad Fisherman, who had been charged in connection with a 2016 sexual battery case, due to newly surfaced alibi evidence. Fisherman was previously charged with one count of sexual battery involving multiple perpetrators, accused of aiding and assisting Oren and Alon Alexander in the alleged assault of a woman identified as M.W. nearly nine years ago. Facebook video cited in alibi defense "Part of the evidence learned by the State subsequent to the filing of this case was a Facebook post which included a video purportedly placing Fisherman on a boat cruising on the water in Miami Beach at sunset on New Year's Eve 2016, very close in time to the sexual battery incident," Fernandez Rundle said in a written statement. The video, according to Facebook records, was posted around 9 p.m. that night. On July 2, 2025, Fisherman filed a notice of alibi, claiming he was "on a boat in the water somewhere along the Intercoastal Waterway" at the time of the alleged crime. "The defendant's presence at the scene of the crime is an essential element of proof and this video evidence casts doubt on that proof," Fernandez Rundle said. Case against Alexander brothers remains active "Given the prosecution's inability to conclusively disprove the alibi, we determined in good faith that we could not prove the case against Ohad Fisherman beyond and to the exclusion of all reasonable doubt, which is required by law," Fernandez Rundle said. She emphasized the decision applies only to Fisherman and does not affect the pending cases against Oren and Alon Alexander. "I want to particularly reaffirm my admiration for these victims' strength and commit once again to their cause and the remaining cases against the Alexander brothers," she said. Fernandez Rundle added that, due to the active nature of the remaining prosecutions, the State Attorney's Office is not at liberty to discuss the matter further at this time.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Ex-Hialeah police chief Sergio Velazquez arrested in alleged theft of public funds spent on Rolex, Cartier, authorities say
A former Hialeah police chief was arrested Monday following an investigation into allegations that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds, officials said. Alleged misuse of police funds and financial structuring Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Sergio Velazquez, 62, who served as chief from 2012 until his suspension in 2021, is charged with structuring, grand theft and an organized scheme to defraud. She called the case "shocking," citing the breach of public trust by someone in such a high-ranking position. Velazquez was arrested as he left his home Monday morning. At the time of his suspension by newly elected Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo in November 2021, Velazquez was earning $211,000 annually, making him the city's second-highest-paid employee. Investigation details reveal cash deposits and luxury purchases John Vecchio, Special Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Miami Regional Operations Center, said the arrest followed a complaint from the current police chief, who discovered discrepancies involving seized funds and petty cash stored in the department's safe. FDLE agents allege that between 2015 and 2021, Velazquez made more than 900 cash deposits across multiple personal bank accounts, all under $10,000, amounts structured to avoid federal reporting requirements. The funds allegedly came from sources intended for confidential police operations and court-ordered forfeitures. Financial records reviewed in the investigation show Velazquez made over $300,000 in purchases from Rolex, along with additional luxury expenditures including $11,000 at Cartier, $6,700 at Louis Vuitton, and $5,000 at Versace. Officials noted that all suspicious cash deposit activity ceased following Velazquez's suspension in late 2021. Over $500,000 missing during five-month span The FDLE's probe revealed that during the final five months of Velazquez's tenure—from May to October 2021—about $560,000 in department funds were unaccounted for. Investigators identified 62 cash deposits during that time, all under the $10,000 threshold. Vecchio said the case involved more than 4,500 hours of investigative work, including subpoenaing financial records, conducting interviews, and executing search warrants.
