Eideard

A Fort Lauderdale man who prosecutors said ran an identity theft ring that broke into people’s cars while they attended funerals was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Friday.

Oscar Diaz, 30, must also pay almost $130,000 in restitution to 50 victims from Florida, Maryland and several other states under the terms of a plea agreement he reached with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baltimore…

Prosecutors said Diaz, and several other co-defendants from Broward County, worked together to steal the identities and use them to get cash. Some of them broke into vehicles that were parked outside churches, day care centers, parks, gyms and cemeteries up and down the East Coast, then impersonated the victims at their banks — even donning wigs to disguise themselves, according to court records.

“Diaz’s co-conspirators would even follow funeral processions in order to target cars parked at graveyards,” according to a press release from Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

Diaz says he hopes to get treatment for his problems with substance abuse while he’s in prison. I think that depends on how easy it to get drugs and booze in whichever slammer he gets to spend the next nine years.

A Broward father lost all rights to his daughter after being declared an unfit dad. Now he is dead, and a court is reconsidering whether to restore his parental rights.

In life, he was a lousy father. His love for the crack pipe was mightier than the love for his children, a Broward judge decided, and ended his parental rights to his pre-teen daughter.

But before his appeal of the judge’s order was final, the father known in court records as C.A. died when he was hit by a car. And now, an appeals court is wondering: perhaps the little girl should keep her father, after all.

A Broward County court is set to consider restoring a dead man’s parental rights to his now 13-year-old daughter, so she might be able to receive part of a possible payout from a lawsuit over his death…

Child welfare legal experts…say the ruling appears to be the first time a Florida judge has been asked to restore a parent’s rights after death.

“Obviously, this case presents challenges that we haven’t dealt with yet,” Judge Frusciante said.

Where is Solomon when you really need him?

Singletary (L) and Williams (R)

The man identified as the “saggy pants robber” was shot in the rear and arrested by Broward Sheriff Office deputies early Saturday morning, putting an end to a crime spree that stretched from Boynton Beach to Miramar since November.

Deputies fired at the bandit they say is responsible for sticking up convenience stores in Broward and Palm Beach counties after interrupting a robbery in progress at a Circle K on 3990 W Hallandale Beach Blvd. just after 3:30 a.m., authorities said…

Officials identified the suspected robber as 19-year-old Luke M. Singletary III, of Fort Lauderdale. Terrence Williams, 20, of Fort Lauderdale was identified by police as the driver.

Early Saturday morning, Singletary was in the passenger seat as Williams drove the Infiniti into the parking lot behind the Circle K. The deputies pulled up just as Singletary was leaving the car and putting on a green ski mask before approaching the store.

The driver of the Infiniti attempted to run over the deputies, who fired at Williams as he fled. The vehicle was later found abandoned a few blocks away.

Singletary ran across Hallandale Beach Boulevard, where deputies shot and wounded him. They recovered a handgun at the scene…

No one else was injured.

News of the arrest especially cheered up one of his previous victims who Singletary had threatened to execute during a robbery. “Good for him, he got it in the end.”

Yes, he did.

Seconds after a Broward circuit judge ordered John Ross to jail Friday morning, he escaped the courtroom, evaded deputies, jumped into Fort Lauderdale’s New River and drowned.

The 29-year-old’s body was recovered by Fort Lauderdale police Friday afternoon and taken to the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office…

Dorothy Springer, Ross’ mother, said her son had no idea he was going to be ordered into custody when he arrived in court.

”He was under the impression that everything was going to be dropped,” she said.

Ross had been arrested for a June incident in which he was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm. The judge said he violated his bond terms when he was caught with cocaine and charged with intending to distribute.

Ross raced down seven flights of stairs, stripped off his polo shirt, went out the courthouse’s back exit and across Southeast Third Avenue. He jumped onto the deck of a yacht, then springboarded into the river.

Ryan Fitzgerald [from the yacht] grabbed a life preserver to try and aide Ross, then ran along a brick path on the river’s south side. Trailing behind Ross were two deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office who jumped into the water to try to pull him out.

Hours later, Fort Lauderdale police recovered his body.

The Darwin Award aside, he saved the state of Florida some money, as well.