The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
June 09, 2025
-
The Florida Bar
JUDGES GRAPPLE WITH SURGE IN ONLINE THREATS, DOXING, AND HARASSMENT
The Florida Bar | Article | June 09, 2025
Two Hillsborough County judges were targeted in a pizza doxing scheme involving fraudulent online orders to their homes. According to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s affidavit, Jonathan Mark Miller of Plant City was charged with two counts of fraudulent use of personal information. Orders were placed using the judges’ names, contact details, and email addresses. Investigators linked Miller to the IP address used. One judge had issued a ruling against Miller the same day as the first order. Chief Judge Christopher Sabella confirmed these were the first such incidents in Florida’s state court system. Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard and others cited rising threats against judges, including over 100 pizza doxing cases nationally, some using the name “Daniel Anderl,” the murdered son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. Florida Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz reassigned the case and created a Judicial Security Workgroup to recommend threat response measures.
-
Legal Discipline
FLORIDA BAR TO PAM BONDI CRITICS: HANDS TIED UNTIL SHE’S OUT OF OFFICE
Daily Business Review | Article | June 06, 2025
On Friday [June 6], The Florida Bar rejected a third complaint filed against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi by a coalition of attorneys, former Florida Supreme Court justices Barbara Joan Pariente and Peggy Ann Quince, and legal organizations. The complain accused Bondi of threatening Justice Department lawyers with discipline if they did not “zealously pursue the President’s political objectives.” The coalition criticized the Bar’s decision, stating public officials have a heightened ethical duty. A letter signed by bar counsel said the matter is closed but may be reopened once Bondi leaves office. The Daily Business Review submitted a records request regarding the complaints.
-
Legal Discipline
TWO JACKSONVILLE ATTORNEYS DISCIPLINED
Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | June 09, 2025
On June 1, the Florida Supreme Court published orders disciplining 14 attorneys: 2 were disbarred, 3 had licenses revoked, 7 were suspended, and 2 received public reprimands. Taylor Wayne Casey received an interim felony suspension effective 30 days after a May 7 court order. Casey was arrested at Miller’s Ale House in South Jacksonville and later convicted of resisting an officer with violence, trespass, and disorderly intoxication. He was sentenced to 18 months probation, per Florida Bar documents. Kenneth Clark Steel III received a public reprimand effective 30 days after a May 8 court order. Steel missed Georgia’s two-year statute of limitations for a client’s civil tort case, barring the client from pursuing compensation. Disciplinary orders are not final until the rehearing period expires, or any rehearing motion is resolved.
-
Criminal Justice
FLORIDA SHERIFF ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN ‘MASSIVE’ ILLEGAL GAMBLING RING GRANTED $1 MILLION BOND
ABC News | Article | June 06, 2025
On June 6, suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, appeared in court after being arrested June 5 and charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Prosecutors allege Lopez used his position to protect and expand an illegal gambling operation in Central Florida, including Osceola and Lake counties, which generated over $21.6 million. The Florida Attorney General’s Office says Lopez accepted campaign contributions and personal payments, and committed money laundering, ran a gambling house in Kissimmee, and illegally possessed slot machines. Judge Emily Curington set bond at $1 million total, with conditions including GPS monitoring and passport surrender. Prosecutor Panagiota Papakos cited $600,000–$700,000 in cash Lopez allegedly received and detailed evidence including text messages from 2019. Lopez remains in custody per the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. His next court date is June 30. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez and appointed Christopher Blackmon as Osceola County sheriff. The investigation is ongoing.
-
Civil Justice
JURY REJECTS ‘PHANTOM DRIVER’ CLAIM, AWARDS $2.9M IN TESLA CRASH
Daily Business Review | Article | June 06, 2025
In the case of Erika Jarmila Thomas v. Brian Lee Shechtman, a Miami-Dade jury awarded Erika Thomas nearly $2.9 million following an October 2022 four-car crash on I-95 in Miami. The defense claimed a “phantom vehicle” caused the crash and pointed to Thomas’s social media to argue she was uninjured. Attorneys Ramon Oscar Crego and Miriam Fresco Agrait of Rubenstein Law countered with an independent witness who testified the Tesla lost control on its own. Police testimony also indicated no evidence of another vehicle. Crego argued social media is not a reliable reflection of real life. The defense’s highest pretrial offer was $200,000. The defendant is the owner of Santa’s Enchanted Forest. Thomas also testified she saw the Tesla driver possibly holding food at the time. Defense counsel was Mai-ling Castillo of Nicholas J. Ryann & Associates. The verdict was delivered by jury on June 6.
-
Criminal Justice
WAINWRIGHT ASKS US SUPREME COURT TO HALT EXECUTION, CITES PRE-BIRTH AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE
News Service of Florida | Article | June 06, 2025
Florida inmate Anthony Wainwright is seeking to halt his execution scheduled for Tuesday [June 10] through a U.S. Supreme Court appeal filed June 6, citing cognitive damage from Agent Orange exposure before birth. Attorney Terri Backhus argues Wainwright was conceived six months after his father’s Vietnam War service and suffered lasting effects that should mitigate his sentence. Wainwright was convicted in the 1994 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart in Lake City, Florida, after escaping a North Carolina prison with Richard Hamilton. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant on May 9. The Florida Supreme Court and U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger have denied related appeals. If carried out, Wainwright’s execution would be Florida’s sixth this year. The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops urged DeSantis to commute his sentence. DeSantis has also scheduled the execution of Thomas Gudinas on June 24 for the 1994 rape and murder of Michelle McGrath in Orlando.