florida lawyer who forged judges' signatures

by Prof. Crawford Jast DDS 5 min read

Jose Camacho, 47, had claimed he forged the signatures of at least eight Broward County judges because he had a high-volume practice and didn't want to wait for signoffs from backlogged judges, the Miami Herald reports. His sentence also includes 10 years of probation.Aug 4, 2017

Who is the lawyer that went to jail for forging signatures?

After forging hundreds of judicial signatures, a Florida lawyer is finally going to head behind bars. The Miami Herald reported that Jose Camacho of South Florida was sentenced to one year in jail for faking signatures on financial settlement cases.

Who was sentenced for forgering signatures of Broward judges?

Ex-lawyer Jose Camacho during his sentencing for forgering the signatures of Broward judges. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, plus 10 years of probation. David Ovalle Miami Herald

Why did judge Marina Garcia-wood of Broward Circuit testify?

Judge Marina Garcia-Wood of Broward Circuit testified in the case because he had forged her signature on documents. She had called him,”lazy” while on the stand.

Why do lawyers turn in bogus orders to the court?

For lawyers such as Camacho, who thrived on quantity of cases, it meant long waits for judges to approve what might seem like perfunctory orders. So he began turning in the bogus orders to the clerk of courts, who recorded the settlements.

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Who found forged signatures in Broward County?

Jose Manuel Camacho was arrested in October after Broward County Judges Marina Garcia-Wood and Carlos Rodriguez found their forged signatures on legal documents filed with the clerk of courts. Advertisement. After the judges complained, Broward Sheriff's Detective John Calabro interviewed them and five other judges.

Who was the judge for the 114 signatures?

In all, Camacho, 46, was accused of forging 114 signatures. The other judges were Eileen O 'Connor, John Luzzo , John Bowman, Thomas Lynch and Mily Rodriguez Powell. Camacho worked for the Miami-based Camacho Law Group and graduated from the University of Miami Law School. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in April 2000.

Who was the judge in the Camacho case?

The case against Camacho was originally assigned to Broward Circuit Judge Matthew Destry , but because it involved other judges as victims, Destry recused himself.

Who covers Broward County?

Rafael Olmeda. Rafael Olmeda covers Broward criminal and civil courts for the Sun Sentinel. A graduate of Baruch College of the City University of New York, he worked for six years at the New York Daily News before joining the Sun Sentinel in 1999.

Do judges have to sign off on a payment?

Judges have to sign off on the transactions and will reject them if they conclude the original recipient of the payments is not getting a fair deal. According to an arrest report, Camacho admitted forging the judges' signatures and filing the orders with the clerk of courts.

Who is the judge for the Miami-Dade case?

The case will be transferred to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzner with Assistant Broward State Attorney Ryan Kelley prosecuting.

How many forged signatures were found in Broward County?

Broward Sheriff’s Detective John Calabro conducted interviews with all the judges, finding a total of 114 forged signatures. The other judges were John Luzzo, John Bowman, Mily Rodriguez Powell, Eileen O’Connor, and Thomas Lynch.

Who turned in bogus orders to the clerk of courts?

For lawyers such as Camacho, who thrived on quantity of cases, it meant long waits for judges to approve what might seem like perfunctory orders. So he began turning in the bogus orders to the clerk of courts, who recorded the settlements.

Who was the judge in Camacho v. Miami?

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer, assigned by the governor to preside over the case because the victims were Broward judges, called Camacho’s forgeries an “attack on the system.”. “In today’s environment, lawyer jokes are abundant.

Did Camacho forge the signatures of judges?

Camacho, with his lawyer’s permission, confessed to forging the signatures of at least eight judges in Broward County over the years. He cooperated from the outset, hoping to get leniency at sentencing. Since then, Broward has changed its policies. Now a clerk of court must accompany lawyers in turning in orders signed by judges.

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