White Collar Crime

December 15, 2009

PINELLAS COUNTY: PCJ Inmate Walks out of Jail on Fake Paperwork

An inmate at the Pinellas County jail is accused of forging paperwork to get out of jail.

According to Bay News 9’s partner paper, the St. Petersburg Times, Nydeed Nashaddai managed to fake a letter that got him out of jail. He was in jail on fifteen (15) counts of Uttering Forged Bills, Drafts, Checks or Notes, six (6) counts of Grand Theft and four (4) counts of Fraudulent Use of Personal ID Info.Nashaddai’s release only lasted about a day. When the victim was notified about the release, he called the Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office, who then found out that Nashaddai was not supposed to be let out of jail.

Nashaddai was “re-arrested” the same day. He now faces an additional charge of Escape and remains in the Pinellas County Jail without a bond. It remains to be seen if he can walk his way out of jail again.
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September 30, 2009

DADE CITY: Man Arrested for Selling Illegal Satellite TV Boxes

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Eddy G. Reyes, 37, was arrested Monday for scamming a woman out of $2,500 for a TV box that he promised would give her “Free Satellite Television for Life.” For the complete story, check out the Pasco section of Wednesday’s St. Pete Times.

Pasco County Sheriff’s Office authorities say that Reyes operated a business called Dreamlinc which offered customers free satellite TV for a one-time fee. His arrest report indicates that Reyes sold devices that had software “designed to be used for defrauding satellite service providers with unauthorized reception of their services.”According to Kevin Doll, spokesman for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, “if anyone offers to sell you one of these satellite boxes for free TV for life, its a lie.” Bottom line, according to Doll, is that “its stealing.” Other potential victims are encouraged to call the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 844-7711.Reyes, who lives in Dade City, has been charged with Grand Theft, Fraudulently Intercepting Communications Services without Authorization and Fraudulently Advertising the Sale of Interception Devices. He is currently in the Land O’ Lakes jail with a $1,800 bond.
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September 22, 2009

SAFETY HARBOR: Former Finance Director Gets Jail Time

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

One year after being arrested for stealing approximately $128,000 from the City of Safety Harbor, while serving as their finance director, JoAnne Ryan was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Thane Covert to one year in the Pinellas County Jail. However, six months of her time will be spent on “work release,” formerly known as the “Day Reporting” program.Ryan, who accepted the State’s plea deal, was convicted of Second Degree Grand Theft. As part of her sentence, Ryan will be placed on 15 years of probation and will be ordered to pay $128,000 in restitution. She already paid about $58,000 in restitution, up front, in an effort to mitigate the damage that she caused.

At her sentencing hearing, Judge Covert stated, “You are a good person, but you made some very serious mistakes you knew were wrong. You should never hold a position of trust in the future.” For the complete story, check out today’s St. Petersburg Times article.

As part of a very well prepared defense, Dr. Walter Afield, a neuropsychiatrist, testified that Ryan suffered from a condition known as “chemo brain,” following her treatment for breast cancer, which affects memory, concentration and focus. Afield also told the Court that Ryan had major depression and was suicidal.

While this case does not qualify for entrance into this blog’s “Celebrity Justice” column, it certainly begs the following questions: Are all Defendants treated equal? Does it help to have an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney on your side? And would she have gotten this same sentence had she been represented by the Office of the Public Defender?
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September 16, 2009

PINELLAS COUNTY: Counterfeit Money Order Scam Busted

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

Yesterday, a Safety Harbor man was arrested on various charges stemming from his involvement in a counterfeit money order scam. Raul Francisco Zelaya, 50, was arrested for Scheming to Defraud a financial institution, Communications Fraud and Possession of Counterfeit Checks. For the complete story, check out today’s Tampa Bay Online article.On Tuesday, when investigators finally arrested Zelaya, he had an additional 243 counterfeit money orders valued at over $230,000. Zelaya is believed to have obtained these checks from a known online check-cashing scam. These type of scams typically appear online as “work from home” job opportunities and can be posted on websites or appear in spam e-mail.This is not the first time that this Zelaya character has been involved in this type of activity. According to the Clearwater Police Department, Zelaya previously took part in a similar scam that was investigated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
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August 5, 2009

Crime Still Climbing in St. Petersburg

by Blake & Dorsten, P.A.

A recent story in the St. Petersburg Times has indicated that crime is on the rise in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida. According to the latest numbers, Burglary
and Theft Crimes are rapidly increasing.

For the full story, click here:

Police Chief Chuck Harmon has suggested that the rapid rise in crime is due to many factors including the current economic crisis, rising unemployment and home foreclosures.

While Property Crimes like Auto Theft are on the rise, most Crimes of Violence are down this year. Robbery is down 12 percent this year and the number of Homicides have been cut in half.These statistics have lead to a steady increase in business for the Blake & Dorsten, P.A. in Clearwater. Criminal Attorney Nicholas J. Dorsten, of the Blake & Dorsten, P.A., handles all criminal matters arising in the City of St. Petersburg and throughout the Tampa Bay area.
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