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Judges drop out after Straub adds good friend and former chief judge to defense team
Less than a year after retiring as a Palm Beach County circuit judge, Jeffrey Colbath is back in court again. This time, he’s helping defend a close friend, Wellington developer Glenn Straub, from criminal charges.
But less than seven weeks after Colbath came aboard, two judges who worked under Colbath while he was on the bench recused themselves from the case.
Judicial recusals are not uncommon.
But in the state’s case against Straub they follow the recusals of two prosecutors in the case, including Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg.
The recusals offer a glimpse of the challenges in prosecuting a wealthy figure with friendships in law enforcement and the judiciary — friendships Straub hasn’t been shy to brag about.
Aronberg is friends with both Straub and Straub’s former girlfriend, Jessica Nicodemo, whose complaint led to the developer’s arrest in January.
Judge jeffrey colbath biography of michael jordan for kids This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. Who Represents Me? In , he was elected to the Palm Beach County Court. Colbath received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida in and his J.Aronberg’s ex-wife, Lynn Aronberg, is friends with Nicodemo and spent time at Nicodemo’s Loxahatchee Groves home during her separation from Dave Aronberg.
Dave and Lynn Aronberg, who divorced in after less than two years of marriage, are among the witnesses Straub expects to call if the case goes to trial.
Others on his witness list, filed May 19, include four others in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office: Chief Assistant State Attorney Adrianne Ellis, prosecutors Brian Fernandes and Alexcia Cox and spokesman Mike Edmondson.
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Straub was arrested in January and charged with three felonies — grand theft larceny of less than $,, filing a fraudulent lien and filing false documents — in connection with a bitter dispute with Nicodemo.
Colbath, who retired Sept. 20 after 27 years on the bench, said he joined Straub’s defense team on March 26 at Straub’s request.
It’s his first case as a lawyer since becoming a judge in
“I am acquainted with Mr. Straub. I have known him for a long while," Colbath, who served as chief judge from to , said in an interview.
“I've got some expertise in that area so I was honored to join his team.
Biography of larry bird Colbath earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida and received his law degree from Nova Southeastern University in Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Glenn Kelley sentenced the year-old former Boynton Beach newlywed to 16 years in prison for solicitation to commit first-degree murder Friday, knocking four years off the year sentence that Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath previously gave Dippolito in and rejecting her request for a punishment below the four-year minimum recommended sentence. Colbath was the chief judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Florida. She is, Rosenfeld said, a kindhearted, deeply spiritual and deeply loyal mother, daughter, sister and friend.He's got a couple of good lawyers on board. I think I bring a dynamic the others don’t have and they bring dynamics I don't have, so we are going to do our best to represent his interests."
Colbath, who opened a mediation firm in October, joins a formidable and plugged-in defense team led by state Rep. Michael Gottlieb, a criminal lawyer based in Fort Lauderdale.
Michelle Suskauer, a West Palm Beach criminal lawyer and former Florida Bar president, joined Straub’s defense on March She is married to Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer.
Gottlieb said Colbath, with his “wealth of information over a long and distinguished career” as judge, is “a welcomed asset” to his defense team.
“Having someone like him, and his knowledge and understanding and certainly perspective from the bench that he brings to a case like this, is something you can't buy.
That wealth of experience is tremendous."
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‘Nice try with the AG office’
Straub’s criminal case dates to March 28, , when Nicodemo went to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Wellington, where Straub is a major property owner and local power broker, to file a complaint.
Describing a rocky three-year relationship with the president of Palm Beach Polo, she accused Straub of domestic battery in and filing liens on her homes in January to prevent her from moving away from him.
A week earlier, Straub’s company, Palm Beach Polo, filed a civil lawsuit against Nicodemo over $77, in unpaid improvements the company performed at homes she owns.
The liens were filed two months earlier because of the unpaid bills, according to Polo’s lawsuit.
But Nicodemo said the improvements were a gift from Straub, her boyfriend at the time. In a countersuit, she accused Straub of filing false liens because she tried to break off their romantic relationship.
Nicodemo is one of five younger women sued by Straub companies over unpaid debts since , court records show.
On March 31, , PBSO Detective Vance Harper started investigating Nicodemo’s complaint.
Judge jeffrey colbath biography of michael jordan basketball player Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the largest cities. Anything after that is a gift. Help us serve you better: Take our reader survey. Click here to contact our editorial staff or report an error.But less than a month later, he would seek to transfer the case out of Palm Beach County.
On April 20, Harper and a sergeant went to the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office to review their case with the domestic violence unit. A day later, Straub sent text and voice messages to Nicodemo suggesting he was made aware of the meeting and, in turn, the criminal investigation against him.
“Nice try with the AG office,” he said in the text.
On May 25, then-Gov.
Rick Scott transferred the case to the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, citing Aronberg’s “personal relationship” with both Straub and Nicodemo.
But it was the PBSO detectives who initiated the transfer request “due to the fact that Straub was made aware of our investigation,” PBSO records show.
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‘He wants to make this go away’
By June , Christina Strandell, the assistant state attorney in Broward County, was assigned the case.
Three months later, on Sept.
25, , she told PBSO detectives she was recusing herself “because Straub hired her husband’s boss to represent him in the criminal case," according to a PBSO summary of her conversation with Harper.
Strandell is married to Clark Strandell, who works forGottlieb’s law firm.
After Strandell left the case, it was assigned to Broward Assistant State Attorney Al Guttman.
Meanwhile, records show, Harper repeatedly asked Gottlieb to make Straub available for an interview.
“Gottlieb stated he’s not going to allow Straub to be interviewed if it’s going to establish probable cause.
Short biography of michael jordan: Colbath will replace current Chief Judge Peter Blanc, who has led the local judiciary since Ballotpedia does not currently cover this office or maintain this page. Election results Send us candidate contact info. Please donate here to support our continued expansion.
He wants to make this go away for his client (Straub) because he’s a high profile person," according to Harper’s summary of his conversation with Gottlieb on Oct. 24,
A week later, records show, Nicodemo told investigators that a mutual friend had advised her that “Straub was bragging” about hiring Strandell’s husband’s law firm.
“He was proud because Strandell had to recuse herself," according to a PBSO summary of what the friend told Nicodemo.
Gottlieb said Straub didn’t hire him because Christina Strandell is married to a lawyer in Gottlieb’s firm.
“(Straub) didn’t know who she was,’’ he said.
Straub goes after investigator
A month later, Straub set his sights on Harper, the detective who was investigating him.
On Dec. 1, , Straub filed complaints with PBSO about Harper and two other deputies who are friends with Nicodemo.
Straub accused the three “rogue” deputies of orchestrating “illegal” wiretap recordings of two phone calls between Nicodemo and Straub “to put pressure on Palm Beach Polo to settle the lawsuit,” PBSO records show.
Harper recorded the calls with Nicodemo’s consent, records say, a common tactic in criminal investigations and permissible under state law.
Straub learned that the calls had been recorded when Nicodemo mentioned it during a civil deposition in November
An internal affairs investigation cleared all three deputies of wrongdoing in IA records noted that Straub’s complaint “omitted” the fact that Nicodemo is his former girlfriend.
Straub, who never gave an interview to PBSO detectives, was arrested in January, 10 days before the statute of limitations to file the case would have expired.
He turned himself in and was freed three hours later after posting $11, bail.
Judge jeffrey colbath biography of michael jordan He was elected to the court position without opposition on September 10, Please contact us with any updates. Michael Dippolito testifies during the sentencing hearing for his ex-wife, Dalia Dippolito, Friday afternoon, July 21, Colbath will replace current Chief Judge Peter Blanc, who has led the local judiciary sinceHe is awaiting trial.
The case was assigned to Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss. But on April 21, she filed an order rescuing herself without a reason. Weiss, a former assistant state attorney, would not comment for this story.
On April 23, the case was assigned to Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd, but she recused herself on May 4 without explanation.
Shepherd, who did not respond to a message for this story, was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Colbath on Oct. 1,
Circuit Judge Kirk Volker, a former Palm Beach County prosecutor, took over the case May
Colbath said he didn’t know why the two judges recused themselves or if it may have been related to their working relationships with him while he was chief judge.
“Your speculation is as good as mine,” he said.
Gottlieb said he doesn’t know, either.
“The case is obviously an involved case with certain high-profile individuals," he said.
“We are looking for the COVID crisis to end so we can get our case into court."
Friends from the marina club
Colbath said his friendship with Straub goes back five or six years. He said they met at a football game through a mutual friend, attorney Steve Rothman.
A friendship blossomed, Colbath said, and he spent time socializing with Straub.
Colbath said he and his daughter Kelly took a trip on Straub’s yacht to the Bahamas in December
Kelly Colbath lived with Nicodemo for a few months in while Nicodemo was dating Straub, Jeffrey Colbath said.
Straub has made no secret of his friendships with Colbath, Aronberg and other public figures, even President Donald Trump, court records show.
In a deposition of another case, Straub said he sometimes meets Colbath and two other judges at Rybovich Marina.
“There’s a little club where they park the boats, and they like it because it's free, so they meet there and they talk, and I’m there with Steve Rothman, which is a big law firm here in Palm Beach County."
Colbath, Straub said, “introduced me to everybody else."
Straub’s friendship with Colbath was brought up in a deposition in by attorneys asking questions in a Palm Beach bankruptcy case.
The attorneys were reading text messages between Straub and Mia Mathews, whose husband at one time owned the controversial Palm House hotel project, that mention a “judge."
Although Mathews wouldn’t answer the questions, the attorneys were convinced the “judge” was Colbath. They also asked Mia Mathews if she had “discussed any of your legal problems with Judge Colbath." She refused to answer.
Colbath questioned if the state has a valid case in pursuing criminal charges over the filing of liens.
“This struck me from the beginning as a civil dispute," Colbath said.
“But we have been searching all over Florida's history to find out if there's been a case of similar precedent where someone got charged with filing a fraudulent lien and we just can’t find any precedent.
It's nearly unique. I think this is a legitimate difference of opinion on a civil setting but I just don't see where it has elevated itself to a crime."
Elizabeth Parker, Nicodemo’s attorney in the civil case, said she’s confident the state will prove that Straub filed the false liens to prevent Nicodemo from breaking up with him.
“Glenn Straub has bragged about his ability to influence prosecutors, judges and politicians," she said in a statement.
“Jessica is a survivor.
She knew that taking on a litigious billionaire with political connections and a win-at-all-costs mentality would be difficult."
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