STATE ATTORNEY KATHERINE FERNANDEZ RUNDLE HEADS TO ATLANTA FOR "PROSECUTORS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE" NATIONAL SUMMIT

Miami – October 21, 2014

Miami Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is leading two important panel discussions at the “Prosecutors Against Gun Violence" national meeting today in Atlanta.

The group was formed to address the issue of gun violence in the United States as concerns mount over shootings and mass killings. Members include attorneys from several major metropolitan jurisdictions including Miami, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston and Milwaukee. The non-partisan coalition will focus on issues such as reducing gang violence, weapons trafficking, the connection between domestic violence and gun violence, and the link between mental illness and gun violence.

State Attorney Fernandez Rundle will head two panels, one focused on among other things, the trafficking of firearms and the enhancements that punish individuals for committing crimes while using a firearm. The second panel will focus on interventions in preventing mass shooting by persons who have mental health issues at which she will lead the discussion and highlight Miami Dade’s successful police Crisis Intervention Training (CIT).

“Gun violence plagues every jurisdiction in America,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. This Summit is an effort to take ideas that have worked in different parts of the country and by sharing experiences and techniques, spread that success around. In this way, we can make a real difference.”

Sex Traffickers Charged with RICO For Luring Hungarian Men to Miami

Miami – October 3, 2014 

The Miami-Dade State Attorney Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announce the arrest of Three Hungarian nationals Gabor Acs, Viktor Berki and Andras Janos Vass as principles in a criminal enterprise which lured young gay Hungarian men to the United States with the promise of quick, easy and legal cash.  Instead, the targeted young men, ages 20-22, found themselves prostituting and performing sex acts in front of a webcam to enrich Acs, Berki, and Vass.

“The overall attractiveness of our South Florida area is equally attractive to sex traffickers,” stated State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.  “These individuals may have come from a different country to exploit the vulnerable but they used the same basic trafficker tools of fear and intimidation to make their profits.  HSI’s law enforcement partnership with Dade prosecutors should send all traffickers a loud and clear message that we will not tolerate their actions here.”

“This case serves as a reminder that sex trafficking is not limited to any particular race, gender, age or sexual orientation,” said Alysa D. Erichs, special agent in charge of HSI Miami. “I commend the State Attorney’s Office for their support of HSI’s aggressive campaign to stop human trafficking happening right here in our community.”

Homeland Security Investigations began investigating this situation on October 26, 2013, when the HSI Tip Line received information that three males in Miami Beach were possible victims of human trafficking.  Originally landing in New York City and engaging in prostitution there, the three Hungarian nationals were relocated to Miami Beach by Acs, Berki, and Vass.  While on Miami Beach, these young men prostituted themselves and performed for as many as 18-20 hours a day.  All payments went to Acs, Berki and Vass. 

Once interviewed, the victims revealed that their traffickers used various techniques to keep them enslaved, including isolating them from others, withholding their travel and identification documents, and using financial manipulation to keep them in constant debt.  Specifically, the victims indicated that they were rarely allowed to leave their shared apartment and they were told it was because  they could not speak English and were not familiar with the area.  Acs, Berki and Vass also took the victims’ identification documents and locked them in a safe.  All communication with family members in Hungary was closely monitored by Acs and Berki.  The three men indicated that they had been threatened, psychologically intimidated and had experienced levels of violence at the hands of Acs, Berki, and Vass. All three indicated fear for the safety of their families in Hungary since Berki claimed to have been a police officer in Hungary and maintained connections there.  Additionally, Acs, Berki, and Vass had their family information readily available from the documents needed to come to America

31 year old GABOR ACS, 28 year old VIKTOR BERKI and 24 year old ANDRAS JANOS VASS aka JANOS ANDRAS VASS are each being charged with:

RICO/ Racketeering                                                           1^st Degree Felony

Racketeering Conspiracy                                                1^st Degree Felony

Human Trafficking of an Adult (3 counts)                   1^st Degree Felony

Deriving Support from Prostitution                               3rd Degree Felony

2 charged with in 2013 Homestead Absentee Ballot Tampering Investigation

Miami - October 9, 2014

The Miami-Dade State Attorney Office and the Miami-Dade Police Department  announce the arrest of James Brady and Samuel Jean for their roles in tampering with the absentee ballots of Ms. Robkevia Scott, Ms. Betty Brockington, Taquesha Robinson  and Mr. Willie James Snead during the November 2013 City of Homestead Mayoral and City Council Elections.

“Criminal activities which aim to undermine our voting process should offend every citizen of Dade County”, commented State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.  “The actions of my prosecutors and the Miami-Dade Police Department to effectively charge those who try to steal any citizen’s vote show our deep commitment to clean and honest elections. This lengthy investigation aimed to bring all the facts and all of the evidence into the light of day for a sound prosecution.”

An investigation was initiated by the Miami-Dade Police Public Corruption Bureau/ Public Corruption Unit after Ms. Robkevia Scott, a resident of the City of Homestead, filed a complaint with the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics.  In that complaint she alleged that James Brady and Samuel Jean, workers/volunteers for Homestead Mayoral Campaign Candidate Mark Bell, fraudulently deprived Ms. Scott and three of her relatives of their right to vote for the candidates of their choice. 

A series of conversations started on October 14, 2013 with Mark Bell campaign worker/volunteer Samuel Jean inquiring about the status of their four (4) absent ballots and making suggestions as to which candidates to support.  On  October 16, 2013, Mr. Jean and  Mark Bell campaign worker/volunteer Mr. James Brady returned to the Homestead residence,  met with all four Homestead residents and offered to assist them in filling out their absentee ballots.  According to Betty Brockington Mr. Jean and Mr. Brady filled out the absentee ballots for the family, after getting their input as to which candidates each person wanted to vote for and then attempted to have the ballot envelopes signed. Three of four family members did sign the ballots without reviewing the contents.  22-year-old Robkevia Scott, refused to sign the absentee ballot without reviewing the actual cast votes and took her vote back.

Only then did Ms. Scott notice that Mr. Jean and Mr. James Brady had chosen the candidates the family had specifically said it opposed in the Nov. 5 election: mayoral

candidate Mark Bell and council candidate Norman Hodge Jr.  The men left with the 3 ballots and Ms. Scott then contacted the authorities.  Upon getting a search warrant for the ballots, it was learned that the 3 ballots had been submitted and the same votes (for Mark Bell and Norman Hodge Jr.)  had been indicated.  Samuel Jean and James Brady denied filling out the absentee ballots but fingerprint evidence contradicted those claims.

With the recent return of Samuel Jean from Haiti, both Samuel Jean and James Brady are presently being charged with:

 Absentee Ballot Voting Violations - 3rd Degree Felony

 Violation of Section 12-14 (b) of the Code of MIami-Dade County (Absentee Ballots       Ordinance - 2nd Degree Misdemeanor