Joseph A. DeMaria was quoted in the Daily Business
Review article, "Not a Good Track Record, Pizzi Case
Latest Instance where Prosecutors Failed." Full text can be
found in the August 18, 2014, issue, but a synopsis is below.
Although federal and state prosecutors alike have seen ample
success unmasking corrupt officials in Florida counties, such as
Broward and West Palm, as well as eliciting guilty pleas, many of
these prosecutors tend to falter in trial, especially in Miami.
Joseph DeMaria, who previously prosecuted public corruption
cases for the U.S. attorney's office, commented that corruption
cases provide hurdles that other criminal cases do not.
He explains, "First of all, you are starting out with
someone who is a legitimate person. They are someone the voters
felt confident enough to elect. That is different from a street
crime, a Mafia case, a drug case. In those cases, you start off
with a person not being legitimate."
