HAROLD PRYOR’S REPORT CARD*

January 5th will mark Harold Pryor’s first year anniversary as State Attorney for Broward County.

As 2021 heads to a close, the office is still helmed at the highest levels by dyed in the wool, long time Satz true believers. Change from the years 1976 through 2021 is hardly apparent, except in scattershot instances where “discretion” is seemingly awarded to long-suffering line ASA’s, and then greatly curtailed after being exercised through disapproving actions from the Felony Trial Unit’s head, Mike Horowitz.

As Broward stands today, diversion programs have yet to be brought into line with other major jurisdictions in Florida. Acquittal rates after trial remain egregious, and the Case Filing Unit is still humming along bringing poorly investigated, nickel and dime over-prosecutions into the system at an alarming rate. And let’s not even talk about the Juvenile Division.

Weakness on Public Corruption, another pillar of Satz’s infamy, is remarkably status quo as well. Unfortunately, those with connections to Pryor seem to be getting the traditional breaks enjoyed under the old administration, as alleged by Bob Norman in today’s Florida Bulldog article “After promising reform, top Broward prosecutor Pryor gives big break to charity-cheating cop.” Even worse, poor minority offenders like Destiny Williams, also featured in the article, are being given the same old multi-fisted gut punches that were the defining characteristic of the Satz mass incarceration decades.

From Bob’s article:

Pryor specifically said he would hold police officers fully accountable should they commit crimes and reform a justice system that was “stacked against people of color and poor people.”

Officer (Jeffrey) Stewart raised $32,000 for the grieving mother and widow, but Cruz received only about $23,000. According to Gallinal’s October arrest warrant, Stewart warned Cruz that if she went to the authorities about the missing money she would likely be deported

But on the morning of Nov. 2, Pryor’s office quietly dropped the felony charges against Stewart and replaced them with two petty theft charges, both misdemeanors. It was part of a plea deal approved by Pryor

In contrast, (Defense Counsel) Gelin points to the case of Destiny Williams, a 23-year-old financially disadvantaged black woman he represents on a violation of probation case. While in custody on the charge, Williams gave birth to her first child, a premature daughter, born Oct. 7. The mother was then separated from her baby and returned to jail.

Prosecutors want to imprison Williams for 45 months on the violation of probation charge … Williams has a court hearing scheduled for Friday.

(JAABLOG note – the VOP allegations arose before Destiny’s pregnancy. The hearing is tomorrow with Liz Scherer)

Gelin says a reformed justice system would give Williams a chance to be a new mother to her daughter. He personally asked Pryor to spare Williams jail time, but Pryor declined to intervene

“After everything he campaigned on to make things better for poor minority offenders, it appears he’s on board with destroying this young family,” says Gelin.

So there you have it. One year in, and things appear to be exactly the same, except much more disorganized. The obvious question to ask therefore remains: are old guard Satz employees like Mike Horowitz capable of changing? Can they accept and acknowledge that they were wrong in their approach in the previous decades, the necessary first steps that need to occur if meaningful reforms are to be achieved? Or do they need to be replaced by qualified outside professionals willing and able to implement Pryor’s promised changes?

Let’s hope the problems at the SAO are simply a personnel issue, and not something that rest solely on Pryor’s shoulders by his own design. Make no mistake about it; Pryor bears personal responsibility for everything done in his name, and most certainly in those instances where he chooses to personally become involved, as in the cases of Jeffrey Stewart and Destiny Williams. But if he isn’t in control of the situation because he’s still finding his footing, he needs to take decisive action now. The honeymoon’s over, and too many people are still being hurt.

In closing, we’ll echo the hopes of Gordon Weekes, quoted in Bob’s article, and keep our fingers crossed.

“There’s great hope in him,” says Weekes of the 34-year-old Pryor. “I have that hope. The frustration comes when you ask, ‘Are we moving fast enough?’ And that is the problem. Folks want tangible things, tangible changes. Are we seeing it? No.”

*UPDATE* – Jeffrey Stewart felony Information, misdemeanor Information, and Warrant describing the accusations)

* (this is the first in a series of articles on Pryor’s performance to date)

137 thoughts on “HAROLD PRYOR’S REPORT CARD*”

    1. 3

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      Nikki you obviously need to have a coming to Jesus conversation with your husband tonight!! Shit will come back to you. Bad Karma

    1. 3

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      ANYONE IN 3 YEARS CAN BEAT PRYOR. FEMALE, BLACK, WHITE OR TRANS OR HASN’T DECIDED YET. REPLACEMENT WON’T EVEN NEED A LAW LICENSE. THEN AGAIN HE MAYBE INDICTED BY THEN. OH GOV. DESANTIS WILL LOVE APPOINTING HIS REPLACEMENT.

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      And not Gina or Neva who have orchestrated the chiefs to mimic the Satz Era. Hard to believe HP can’t see that his two top aides have caused him to fail, fail, fail. Take off your blinders HP and clean the very top of your house so you can get down to business and create meaningful change in our black community. Just because they are black doesn’t mean that they are doing what’s right for our people.

      1. 1

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        Orchestrated? They’re friggin robots. No orchestration necessary. They suckered HP into it all because actual Reform means all of them are out. He’s weak and scared to lose the biggest paycheck he’s ever seen so it was easy for them.

        1. 1

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          NBI NO BLACKS INVOLVED

          UNIT CHIEFS ALL WHITE

          HOW MANY BLACK SUPERVISORS

          PRYOR SMITH FAULK IN A BUBBLE

          NBI WHERE 99% OF WHAT MATTERS OCCURS

      2. 0

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        Please don’t compare Neva and Gina. Neva is actually a great attorney and a good and caring person.

  1. 15

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    If Pryor doesn’t keep his promise to change that office he will be shown the door by the voters. Ball in his court. This was a slight tap. It appears Norman is giving Pryor a chance to wake up and smell the roses. Next article and ones that will come after will be the demise of his political career but he won’t change because the power has already gone to his head. He’s listening to idiots in his Admin just like stupid Scott Israel did and Israel now can’t even get elected dog catcher. And Pryor who wrote all those stories that rightly ruined Israels career? Bob da bomb Norman !

    1. 3

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      Ridiculously sad to see the blessed child with the pretty like mommy outfit when mommy is cruelly locked up.

    2. 6

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      Obviously no compassionate normal human being would put their thumbs down for wanting to reunite a mom and her child. The only people putting their thumbs down is coming from Pryor’s Administration or from his mentally deranged Satz holdover supervisors. Like everyone seems to be saying– Karma is a bitch. All the good ASA’s have either been fired on quit. Pryor is more than a disappointment. HE is an outright liar. The Black community is going to spit him out as the liar and traitor that he is, and the white community will NEVER vote for him again because he only protects a victim of a crime if it suits him or as long as the defendant doesn’t hire someone on his contributor list. What would his Mother think if she knew the truth about her son? How does he look at himself in the mirror?

  2. 2

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    He most definitely is using this to further his career down the road. Being a long lasting states attorney is not his goal…everyone knew that. He is being very careful.

  3. 6

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    Seriously? Is anyone actually surprised? HP worked for Mike. He was down with it. He was campaigning later. He said what he needed to say to get passed Kimok. To think anyone believed it is odd.

  4. 8

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    Corruption alive and well in the SAO. Look at the chiefs of the units and you will see Satz clones everywhere. Horowitz . For sure you couldn’t have picked anyone less equipped to promote reform. To bad HP is to stubborn to make changes. If there is to be any reform Pryor needs to clean house and start from scratch. Destiny doesn’t have a chance for a break without an attorney that HP needs. Not a chance.

  5. 5

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    They told me if I retired I’d never be on that goddamned Blog again but now it’s even worse than before

  6. 10

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    Pryor is seeking death on Resiles and the State can’t even get a conviction. Pryor seeking death on Cruz who plead guilty and is ready to be sentenced. Pryor is seeking death on dozens of other cases too. Pryor is no different than Satz.

    1. 9

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      He’s worse than Mike.
      I’m no Mike apologist.
      Mike believed he was right.
      Mike wasn’t African-American.
      He didn’t have a family.
      He didn’t know what Pryor knows.

  7. 6

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    Harold won’t lift a finger for Destiny. Destiny has no political connections and no help to offer Harold. Shame on you Harold. This Destiny case will define who you are for the remainder of your career. A traitor and a liar from the very start.

  8. 6

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    4 YEARS A RECORD FOR PRYOR

    4 YEARS TOO LONG FOR BLACK AMERICA

  9. 8

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    Pryor is the boss and leaving it to his line ASA and not steeping in to do the right thing is a disgrace and shows no leadership.

  10. 4

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    This kid will be in the juvenile justice system before she’s 12. Let Destiny go!!!!

  11. 8

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    What would Pryor’s wife think who just had a baby? This baby was ripped from the mom right after she delivered her. Just disgusting of Pryor and the ASA asking for prison when you give a white disgusting prick of a cop a pass. Karma is a bitch! Shit will come back to you both 5 times over!!!

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    Let’s all pray for Destiny tonight. Let’s pray that Mr. Pryor has a change of heart and offers mercy to this family. Let’s join together under the lords eyes and pray together for a family that can be saved by Mr. Pryor with one small word. Say yes to Destiny, say yes to another chance for Destiny. Let’s pray for Mr. Pryor for god to give him the strength to do the right thing. Amen

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    Good morning: Jerry Williams here. This is a perfect example of what’s wrong with this website. Commentary on the new State Attorney and his policies is a valid topic. Yet, all we see in the comments are insults by anonymous trolls. Reputable lawyers with useful input don’t even want to be associated with these knuckle-draggers. Here’s a suggestion, Bill: You control the content. Edit out these useless, adolescent taunts and encourage signed input by real lawyers.

    1. 11

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      .
      Kudos to you Gerald. Bill Gelin
      is a trash collector and proof that
      he knows that his blog is a trash
      can collection of insults & slime
      is that he intentionally omitted
      the Comments Section with his
      Feb 10, 2021 post on the passing
      of his friend and former assistant
      public defender Brian Reidy.

      1. 11

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        Bill Gelin is brilliant. You’re just jealous you don’t have a blog. Gelin has done more than anyone in the courthouse to shine the light on corruption, inequities, inconsistencies in sentencing, and downright racism in this courthouse.

        1. 6

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          Anybody remember his panel questions when all the king’s clowns were running for orafice? Anyone remember the candidates’ answers?? Perhaps Bill would repost the video to remind us.

      2. 5

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        The SA is long overdue for a bulk trash pickup. The stench is overwhelming and getting worse.

    2. 10

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      Sorry Jerry but you have no clue what you’re talking about!! Obviously, you don’t know that no assistant state attorney or any employee at the state attorneys office can use their name and publish anything on social media due to them all being mandatorily required to sign a social media policy. Therefore they can not put their name on the blog

      1. 12

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        Jerry must think he’s next in line for the Glupkin or something!
        This circuit is filled with greaseball judges and prosecutors all playing the same game without even an attempt to commit themselves to the pursuit of Justice.
        I would say the general health of this circuit is terminal with buttkissers all jockeying for position.
        Jerry is no different. His name has consistently appeared on the list of JNC cronies never getting the brass ring. Need I say more. So grab your bag of Hershey’s butt kisses and stay on the couch, Jerry. But don’t try to lecture people that are trying to encourage change from the endemic corruption in the public arena we all fight in every day.

  14. 5

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    Very little doubt that Pryor has been a great disappointment so far, but I don’t think the remainder of his tenure as SA will be any different.

  15. 6

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    He isn’t a leader.
    He won by a fluke.
    He’s got all his former bosses from Mike’s office telling him what to do.
    They’re doing it subtly (so he thinks he’s in charge).
    Old bossee / same bosses.

    1. 1

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      Why couldn’t he stay in power by being a leader who does the things he said he’d do instead of being a Satzie clone? Self Preservation can be achieved other ways than the path of least resistance.

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    Its a shame that most of these political pimps promise everything and do nothing once they get into office. Pryor is no different. He lucked out and now his only concern is self-preservation in an office that’s so screwed up that I doubt it will ever change.
    Genuine change would require an office holder with the conviction to match his or her character. Unfortunately we don’t have many that are interested beyond collecting a paycheck for as long as they can manage it.
    Jerry certainly has a right to his opinion, but its obvious he’s just another cog in the wheel of the criminal justice system that’s hopelessly filled with like-minded people that find it easier not to rock the boat, but instead become incorporated by it without the courage and strength to take on the hard and controversial problems that plague the societal inequities that run rampant in our criminal justice system.
    Not to say Jerry isn’t a nice guy, but he prefers to remain blissfully blind.
    I applaud Mr. Gelin for all his admirable efforts to confront the inequalities that present themselves every day in every aspect of our Courts.

  17. 6

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    Broward voters will remember next election. One term SA. Very disappointed as many had high hopes of reform. True reform. Criminal justice reform. Diversion expansion. Death penalty waivers. Discretion that line ASA’s actually use. Limited use of direct file. Time served offers.

  18. 3

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    I’m not buying Jerry’s Jingle. You’d think that after practicing criminal defense law for as long as he has, he would know better than to try to dump his misguided and self-righteous BS on the rest of us.
    Pull your finger out of your azz and wise up huckster. Nobody’s falling for it.

  19. 6

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    Admire that juror in the Resiles case that stood up for what is right. Better late than never. She deserves the Gulkin award.

    1. 0

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      After 5 days of deliberations they must have been a tad flumoxed with each other & figured well, just let me out of here.

    1. 2

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      These corrupt prosecutors protect people with money and deep pockets. they are the scum of the earth

  20. 7

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    Parkland is easy to try. Play the video and rest. Pryor doesn’t need Satz for that. And he pled guilty. Why is there even a penalty phase. 34 life sentences and be done. If it comes back on appeal it’s on Pryor. Satz will be gone. Pryor wants a career in politics. This will haunt him when it comes back.

    1. 2

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      If all you douchebag lawyers had done “what is right” –you all would have “rightly” disposed of Satz, decades ago. You, especially BACDLers, are all blabbermouth cowards of the first awda.

  21. 6

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    Didn’t take long for the cops on Leo Affairs to get the message that Pryor caves to cops. They’re all laughing at him. Great message to send to the troops

    1. 11

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      Pryor needs to understand that good cops, just like good judges, well they hate bad cops and bad judges worse than anyone. The few bad apples always smear all the rest with their shame. An enabler SA like Pryor is just as bad or worse than an enabler Chief Judge because the police are out there risking their lives. They don’t need the public thinking police are crooked and getting speacial treatment on top of it. Pryor needs to step up in situations like this instead of filing felonies and then yanking them when one of his transition team calls him in a tizzy. The heroes in blue deserve better.

      1. 3

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        What a JOKE. What WE all understand is hardly ANY alleged “good cops,” like alleged “good judges” ever did anything to improve the integrity of law enforcement or uphold the integrity of the Judiciary.

    1. 6

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      LETS PLAY BALL

      HOW MANY BROWARD JUDGES KNEW OF SCOTTY’S GAME AND STILL TOOK CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS?

        1. 5

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          Ken Padowitz helped Ponzi Schemer Scott Rothstein launder cash.
          Padowitz tried unsuccessfully to run for judgeship twice.
          Padowitz is unethical and should be in prison with Rothstein.

            1. 7

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              Ken Padowitz is pimping for clients.
              He takes huge retainers and than makes endless continuances and than withdraws himself.
              He is a con man extradonaire.
              How does he get away with such unethical behavior?

              1. 4

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                Is that why he’s had to run his wife for judge without success? He needs the extra cash ?

                1. 4

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                  Padowitz is remnant of Scott Rothstein law firm. He is cockroach that you just can’t seem to get rid of.
                  His best friend Jeff Marcus has his back.
                  Harold Pryor is just a Black face with the same old Satz team behind the scenes making dirty deals.
                  Broward County is the most corrupt in the nation. we need the feds involved

  22. 6

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    If there hadn’t been so many contenders that split the vote Pryor would not have won for SA. Next time he may not get that lucky.

  23. 8

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    Harold Pryor is another corrupt politician.
    He poorly investigates cases.
    He takes grafts to prosecute innocent people.
    He is a fraud.
    He worked with Fort Lauderdale vice mayor Heather Moraitis to prosecute an innocent who threatened Moraitis money laundering operation with the Russian/Bulgarian Mafia

    1. 2

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      Heather Moraitis is resigning from her position as Vice Mayor after helping her Russian Asset Maya Tegov launder cash and having an innocent man arrested pulling strings with Rick Miglione

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