Opinion ID: 1101092
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Judge

Text: Robinson's case was assigned to Dade County Circuit Judge Alfonso Sepe. The trial began on April 2, 1991; the guilt phase concluded on April 17; and the penalty phase before the jury concluded on April 18. While Robinson's sentencing was pending, the United States Attorney's office concluded an investigation into corruption in the Dade County Circuit Court entitled Operation Court Broom. On June 8, 1991, a search warrant was executed at Judge Sepe's office and home, and evidence of possible corruption was seized. [1] A detailed account of Operation Court Broom and the resulting indictments and trials, including the trial of Judge Sepe, is contained in the opinion in United States v. Shenberg, 89 F.3d 1461 (11th Cir.1996), cert. denied sub nom. Sepe v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, 117 S.Ct. 961, 136 L.Ed.2d 847 (1997). The Judicial Qualifications Commission learned of the federal investigation in June of 1991. Judge Sepe took a voluntary leave from office with compensation and as a result was administratively removed from the Robinson case. On October 15, 1991, the Supreme Court of Florida suspended Judge Sepe without compensation. In re Shenberg, 632 So.2d 42 (Fla.1992). On May 27, 1992, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a thirty-two count indictment against Sepe, charging him with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statutes (RICO), substantive RICO violations, conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion, mail fraud, and money laundering. The government specifically alleged that Sepe accepted bribery payments for fixing cases and kickbacks for appointing private attorneys to serve as special assistant public defenders. Following a six-month trial and six-week jury deliberation, Sepe was found not guilty on twenty-seven counts, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on five counts concerning RICO violations and extortion. After appeals, the case has now been remanded for retrial on those counts.