The feds seized Scott Rothstein's gaudiest assets, allegedly purchased with purloined money.
The governor was not among them.
The federal charging document claimed Rothstein used funds from his brazenly mendacious billion-dollar Ponzi scheme to buy homes, yachts and cars with the kind of mindless ostentatiousness not seen hereabouts since the days of the cocaine cowboys.
The feds grabbed them all.
Unhappily, they failed to confiscate his judges.
Rothstein, a cigar-chomping, Ferrari-driving, money-flashing wannabe tough guy, used his booty to insinuate himself into the local and state political hierarchy. Money, apparently, is all it takes.
Rothstein handed out campaign contributions the way a happy drunk tips waiters. And managed to hunker down with pols from the governor on down. He donated to the sheriff and the state attorney, perhaps trying to inoculate himself from local scrutiny.
More from Fred Grimm's column here
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