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July 29, 2010 |
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| December 09, 2009 |
By: Jordana Mishory |
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ccused swindler Scott Rothstein enjoyed jewelry, and his former law firm’s bankruptcy trustee wants to find out more from one of his favorite Fort Lauderdale retailers.
Herbert Stettin, the trustee for Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, filed a notice Tuesday to depose a Levinson Jewelers corporate representative and obtain invoices and other documents about jewelry purchases by Rothstein, his firm, his wife or any of his companies dating back to Jan. 1, 2006.
Stettin did not explain why he was drawing a connection between Rothstein and Levinson, but the jewelry chain’s Web site shows the two men together with their wives.
When Levinson Jewelers celebrated the opening of its Las Olas Boulevard store in downtown Fort Lauderdale in January, the law firm was the title sponsor.
A March newsletter from the retailer prominently displays photos of Rothstein and his wife Kim posing next to store co-owners Mark Levinson and his wife Robin along with retired NBA basketball star Alonzo Mourning, Miami Dolphin lineman Jason Taylor and retired Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino, Levinson’s celebrity pitchman.
Rothstein and his wife also pop up twice on the “Stepping Out … Levinson Style” page. The Rothsteins are pictured with “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier and the Levinsons at the grand opening of the Fort Lauderdale restaurant, Bova Prime.
An attachment filed with Stettin’s notice said, “We seek documents that identify the name of the purchaser, a detailed description of the item purchased, the amount paid for the item and the method of payment which includes copies of checks or credit card slips.”
Federal prosecutors, who charged Rothstein last week with racketeering conspiracy in an alleged $1.2 billion fraud, are seeking forfeiture of 304 pieces of jewelry owned by him.
Stettin also is seeking copies of:
Titles to boats owned by the Levinsons
E-mails and other correspondence exchanged between the Levinsons and Rothstein, his wife, his law firm and his companies
Agreements between Rothstein and the Levinsons
Ledger account entries listing “debits and credits for jewelry purchased” by Rothstein or his entities.
The notice set the deposition for Dec. 21 in Berger Singerman’s Fort Lauderdale office. The firm is representing Stettin in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Levinson did not return a call for comment by deadline.
In an unrelated Rothstein development, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Seltzer recused himself from the criminal case assigned to U.S. District Judge James Cohn without stating a reason. Federal magistrates paired with district judges consider motions and other pretrial matters.
In the law firm’s bankruptcy case, the U.S. trustee’s office appointed a committee of creditors holding unsecured claims and named Emess Capital as the temporary chair. Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Emess claimed $60 million in unsecured losses and was the sixth largest creditor in a list of top creditors filed by Stettin last week. Fort Lauderdale-based Banyon Investments, which leads the pack with $775 million in unsecured claims, was not named to the committee. A Banyon executive shared office space with the law firm.
Jordana Mishory can be reached at (954) 468-2616.
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