Made Off Too: A Retired Aventura Cop Gets Conned and Fights Back

Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein bilked investors out of $1.2 billion, but at least he didn’t bamboozle a poor one-armed handyman like Karl Thompson did.The 40-year-old scammer defrauded friends and business associates in Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Miramar, North Miami, and North Miami Beach between 2008 and last year.Franklyn Walsh, who…

Feds Bust Guard for Slinging Cocaine and Booze in Downtown Federal Pen

A prisoner’s offhand request for some holiday liquor led to a sting operation that yesterday brought down a guard at Miami’s downtown Federal Detention Center on charges of selling alcohol and cocaine to inmates. The FBI arrested Octavius Allen, a 37-year-old guard, charging he made thousands of dollars by unloading plastic…

FFF: Seinfeld, Leno, Black, and Rock

Would somebody please explain to me those signs in restaurants that say, “No animals allowed except for Seeing Eye Dogs?” Who is that sign for? Is it for the dog or the blind person? ~Jerry Seinfeld We got so much food in America we’re allergic to food. Allergic to food!…

Cops Kill Dog to Save Ecstasy-Dealing Suspect in West Miami

A narcotics bust in West Miami took a wild turn last night, with a high-speed chase leading to a foot race leading to undercover cops slaying a neighborhood dog to save a suspect in an Ecstasy ring. It all began around 7 p.m., says Officer Kenia Reyes, a spokeswoman for…

Blast From the Past: Psycho Daisies, Sonicly Speaking

Blast From the Past is a new occasional series on Crossfade, revisiting classic local albums from days of yore.Psycho Daisies, Sonicly SpeakingWe’re gonna kick these blasts from Florida’s past with a record that best exemplifies how easily the stuff gets lost in the swamp. I’m talking about one of the…

Uncle Tom’s Is, Indeed, a Sellout

We Southern girls take to the scent of barbecue like pigs to mud on a sunny day, so when I spotted the neon Uncle Tom’s sign flickering in the distance last week, I steered in. A barbecue place on Calle Ocho? Near the Gables? What a delightful surprise!It looked like…

Letters from the issue of January 28, 2010

All We Need Is Love And, of course, murder: Occasionally, I read mystery books, and when I started reading the story about Dalia Dippolito, “She Loves Me Not” (Lisa Rab, January 21), I was pleased. It was well written, with a lot of information and research. It is such a…

Next Up For Jonathan Henry Cobb: The First 48?

As reported here earlier, Cobb frantically tried and failed to ditch a caravan of Miami Police officers last Friday. Along the way, he smashed up other vehicles and a couple of squad cars. Turns out investigators wanted to question Cobb about the murder of Arsenio Harden. The 20-year-old victim was shot…

Blogger’s Bout: STK’s Decor

The much-hyped STK took forever to open its doors; about a year longer than expected, actually. Despite the numerous delays, everyone has been buzzing about the upscale steakhouse-cum-lounge. With sister locations in New York and Vegas, STK developed quite a reputation in Miami. Adding to the excitement is the fact…

Jonathan Henry Cobb, the One Who Didn’t Get Away

Last Friday, I told you about a wild police chase on NE Second Avenue. Well, here’s a mug of the culprit who thought he was reprising Wesley Snipes’s role in U.S. Marshals. His name is Jonathan Henry Cobb, a 25-year-old Brownsville resident who booked it when a blue-and-white attempted to…

Miami Art Musuem Puts Monthly Cocktail Party on Hold

Apparently, tidings of booze and gourmet appetizers were not enough to sway young Miamians to support the Miami Art Museum, the local arts institution that desperately needs to raise private funds for its new home.Taxpayers approved the use of $175 million in county funds to build the $275 million project…

Burger King Lays a Whopper on Washington

The burger blitz continues, but now with a new, ugly twist: A 24-hour Whopper Bar is slated to open on Washington Avenue in South Beach next month. Differences between this and the run-of-the-mill BK: a darker, sleeker décor; delivery by scooter; and longer hours. Bigger difference: “gourmet” burgers such as…

Goodbye, Dan Paul! You Made This Town

So Dan Paul was a little crazy. And the stories of his personal escapades — sexual and otherwise — were legendary in this town.But Paul made modern Miami by writing the county charter in 1957. He was an eccentric genius who, despite earning scads of money, had a wisecrack for…

Martorano and 660 Expand, Chowhound Splits, Nobu Goes on the Road

Bet on This Being a WinnerSteve Martorano, of the famous Café Martorano on Oakland Park Boulevard, brings his brash Italian fare to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino this February with the opening of Martorano’s — a 7,400-square-foot restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating for approximately 300. Look for…

Wake Up, Miami Beach Commissioners! You’re All About Volleyball

Roxana Morales leaps to return a spiked volleyball on the dirty sand court near the ancient band shell on Collins Avenue at 73rd Street. A generator that sputters in the background powers dim lights, so she can barely see. She misses.Even this jury-rigged system won’t last long. The generator is…

Second Avenue is Still Hot

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. You can always expect a little urban drama near and around 29th Street between NE Second Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard to liven up your work day. Earlier this afternoon a black male suspect in a stolen four-door Hyundai with Arkansas plates led…