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Defenders, prosecutors review cases involving Broward deputy accused of sexual abuse
'Those cases are going to fall apart,' says Public Defender Howard Finkelstein
 Bleiweiss |
FORT LAUDERDALE - State prosecutors and the Broward Public Defender's
office are reviewing all pending court cases that have Broward Sheriff
Deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss listed as a witness.
Public Defender Howard Finklestein said today his office has identified
at least 15 open cases, and staffers are also reviewing some that were
closed recently. Details of the cases are not immediately available, he
said.
"Basically, if there are any cases involving Deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss,
chances are those cases are going to fall apart," said Finklestein. "I
don't think the deputy will be cooperating with the State Attorney's
Office, the same people who are prosecuting him."
Ron Ishoy, spokesman for the Broward State Attorney's Office, said
today that prosecutors are conducting a similar search for cases.
They will be "evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if
the state can, in good faith, proceed with prosecuting any of those
cases without the deputy's testimony," Ishoy said.
Prosecutors plan to send letters to defense attorneys alerting them to
Bleiweiss' arrest on Monday. He faces 14 charges, among them three
counts of sexual battery by a person in authority, four counts of
battery and one count of stalking. He's accused of intimidating at
least eight men in his Oakland Park patrol district into performing sex
acts with him during traffic stops.
Court documents released earlier this week portray Bleiweiss, 29, as a
manipulative sex offender who preyed on illegal immigrants too scared
to contact authorities. He would act like a jilted lover when the men
would not return his calls or text messages, according to those
records, based on victims' accounts.
Investigators said they opened the case in April, after learning a
deputy was committing the assaults. Officials on Tuesday declined to
say when Bleiweiss became a suspect.
He was removed from road patrol in mid-July, only after there was
substantive proof to make a case, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman
Veda Coleman-Wright.
The court documents state the men positively identified Bleiweiss from a photo lineup starting in July.
Eric Schwartzreich, the deputy's attorney, said, "I do point out that
they are allegations by undocumented aliens, that at this point in time
I'm not seeing any physical evidence to support the allegations."
During a bond hearing on Tuesday, he said it was too early to fully
comment on the case.
Court records show most of the alleged attacks followed a pattern: The
victims were fondled during pat-downs following early-morning traffic
stops.
Some were coerced to give up cell phone numbers and agreed to meet for
future sexual encounters. In all cases, the men told investigators they
felt they could not refuse the uniformed deputy's demands without a
reprisal.
According to the affidavit, an illegal immigrant from Mexico told an
investigator he endured five different incidents with Bleiweiss between
April 22 and June 7.
The man said Bleiweiss fondled him and whispered Spanish obscenities
before molesting him. After the incident, Bleiweiss allegedly continued
to call and text message the man days later, pressuring him to meet up
again.
"Que pasa, amigo?" read one message after the man did not reply.
The man said he pleaded with Bleiweiss to stop assaulting him during other similar encounters, insisting he only liked women.
A second man, also from Mexico, said he was assaulted on three separate
occasions. During one traffic stop, the man said he loudly urged
Bleiweiss to arrest him or call immigration authorities as he was being
fondled.
A teen, who moved to South Florida from Mexico after Hurricane Wilma in
2005, said Bleiweiss fondled and masturbated him on two separate
occasions.
A man from El Salvador and his brother were returning home from work on
their bikes when Bleiweiss stopped them. The deputy fondled the man
after ordering his brother to leave the scene, officials said.
office are reviewing all pending court cases that have Broward Sheriff
Deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss listed as a witness.
Public Defender Howard Finklestein said today his office has identified
at least 15 open cases, and staffers are also reviewing some that were
closed recently. Details of the cases are not immediately available, he
said.
"Basically, if there are any cases involving Deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss,
chances are those cases are going to fall apart," said Finklestein. "I
don't think the deputy will be cooperating with the State Attorney's
Office, the same people who are prosecuting him."
Ron Ishoy, spokesman for the Broward State Attorney's Office, said
today that prosecutors are conducting a similar search for cases.
They will be "evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if
the state can, in good faith, proceed with prosecuting any of those
cases without the deputy's testimony," Ishoy said.
Prosecutors plan to send letters to defense attorneys alerting them to
Bleiweiss' arrest on Monday. He faces 14 charges, among them three
counts of sexual battery by a person in authority, four counts of
battery and one count of stalking. He's accused of intimidating at
least eight men in his Oakland Park patrol district into performing sex
acts with him during traffic stops.
Court documents released earlier this week portray Bleiweiss, 29, as a
manipulative sex offender who preyed on illegal immigrants too scared
to contact authorities. He would act like a jilted lover when the men
would not return his calls or text messages, according to those
records, based on victims' accounts.
Investigators said they opened the case in April, after learning a
deputy was committing the assaults. Officials on Tuesday declined to
say when Bleiweiss became a suspect.
He was removed from road patrol in mid-July, only after there was
substantive proof to make a case, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman
Veda Coleman-Wright.
The court documents state the men positively identified Bleiweiss from a photo lineup starting in July.
Eric Schwartzreich, the deputy's attorney, said, "I do point out that
they are allegations by undocumented aliens, that at this point in time
I'm not seeing any physical evidence to support the allegations."
During a bond hearing on Tuesday, he said it was too early to fully
comment on the case.
Court records show most of the alleged attacks followed a pattern: The
victims were fondled during pat-downs following early-morning traffic
stops.
Some were coerced to give up cell phone numbers and agreed to meet for
future sexual encounters. In all cases, the men told investigators they
felt they could not refuse the uniformed deputy's demands without a
reprisal.
According to the affidavit, an illegal immigrant from Mexico told an
investigator he endured five different incidents with Bleiweiss between
April 22 and June 7.
The man said Bleiweiss fondled him and whispered Spanish obscenities
before molesting him. After the incident, Bleiweiss allegedly continued
to call and text message the man days later, pressuring him to meet up
again.
"Que pasa, amigo?" read one message after the man did not reply.
The man said he pleaded with Bleiweiss to stop assaulting him during other similar encounters, insisting he only liked women.
A second man, also from Mexico, said he was assaulted on three separate
occasions. During one traffic stop, the man said he loudly urged
Bleiweiss to arrest him or call immigration authorities as he was being
fondled.
A teen, who moved to South Florida from Mexico after Hurricane Wilma in
2005, said Bleiweiss fondled and masturbated him on two separate
occasions.
A man from El Salvador and his brother were returning home from work on
their bikes when Bleiweiss stopped them. The deputy fondled the man
after ordering his brother to leave the scene, officials said.