Message From State Attorney Michael McAuliffe

Read the full email here

Operation "Prescription for Death"

The State Attorney's Office and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office initiated Operation "Prescription for Death," a two-year homicide and drug trafficking investigation, which was conducted in conjunction with a federal investigation. Federal partners including the U.S. Attorney's Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worked with the Multi-Agency Anti-Diversion Task Force in a major blow against pill mills. Jeffrey George, Dr. Gerald Klein and Theodore Obermeyer were arrested and charged with various state crimes including Murder (George and Klein), Trafficking, Conspiracy to Traffic, and Sale and Delivery of Schedule II Narcotics. In a 17 month period, the East Coast Pain Clinic allegedly dispensed over 300,000 Oxycodone pills. A pain clinic patient died within 24 hours after he received prescriptions for over 200 pills from the pain clinic. On August 29, 2011, defendant Jeff George pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Traffic in Hydromorphone and will be sentenced at a later date. This case may be the first in the nation charging both a clinic owner and prescribing doctor with murder in the overdose death of a patient.

ADL WORKPLACE Diversity Training

As part of our office's continuing effort to enhance and sustain a culture of respect and professionalism, we joined with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Florida to create four sessions of engaged and meaningful dialogue regarding diversity, workplace differences and conflict resolution. The ADL has worked with numerous major national law firms, legal departments and other employers across the nation to facilitate similar sessions. These sessions provided prosecutors and staff with the opportunity to deepen and further develop the office's commitment to excellence. Founded in 1913, the ADL prevents and combats anti-Semitism. The ADL Florida office provides anti-bias education programs to educators and students, and trains law enforcement about hate crimes and extremist groups. The ADL fields discrimination complaints of all kinds. We are fortunate to call the ADL a partner.

Get a Head Start in Reading

Our office welcomed approximately 45 preschool children from the Head Start program located on Sapodilla in West Palm Beach for a morning of reading on November 22, 2011. Assistant State Attorneys and staff volunteered to read books to the children and each child received a book to keep. The books were purchased through donations from State Attorney Michael McAuliffe, Executive Director Jeanne Howard and ASA Martin Epstein. The YWCA runs the local Head Start Program.

Lawyers Have Heart Annual 5K Run

The American Heart Association held its 3rd Annual 5K Run for the Palm Beach County law community on October 1, 2011. A special thank you to State Attorney Michael McAuliffe, Pamela Ballard, Alex Brandler, Steve Brannock, Destinie Baker, Tara Chahine, Autumn Gurrola, Don Hughes, Carissa Kranz, Sarah Rakoff, Adam Hecht, Scott Richardson, Jessica Rose, Linda Sabol, Stephanie Toledo, Eli Vallejo, Dara Weber and Matthew Wildner, who participated in the Lawyers Have Heart Event. The office raised $1,322.00 for the American Heart Association.

Grand Jury Indictment in Death of Children and Mother

The Palm Beach County Grand Jury returned an Indictment charging defendant Clem Beauchamp with three counts of First Degree Murder. The three victims were a mother and her two children, ages 10 and 6. Earlier this year, the children's bodies were found stuffed into luggage and floating in a Delray Beach canal. In August 2010, the mother's body, which was discovered at a West Palm Beach dump, remained unidentified until the children's bodies were discovered. The three victims were linked through DNA. State Attorney Michael McAuliffe, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Delray Beach Police Chief Anthony Strianese, the West Palm Beach Police Department, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo Ferrer and Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives Resident Agent in Charge Stephen Barborini announced the Indictment at a press conference on September 22, 2011. State Attorney McAuliffe also announced that the office will seek the death penalty in this case. The case is assigned to Assistant State Attorneys Terri Skiles and Aleathea McRoberts. The lead investigators are Detective Jason Jabcuga of the Delray Beach Police Department and State Attorney's Office Deputy Chief Investigator Bill Fraser.

State of Florida vs. Paul Michael Merhige

On October 27, 2011, defendant Paul Michael Merhige pled guilty and was sentenced to seven consecutive Life Sentences Without the Possibility of Parole for four Counts of First Degree Murder With A Firearm and three Counts of Attempted First Degree Murder With A Firearm. The evidence in this case showed that on the evening of November 26, 2009, the defendant was at the home of relatives for a Thanksgiving meal. At the conclusion of the meal, and without warning, the defendant produced guns and began to shoot his relatives. During the course of the shooting the defendant shot and killed his aunt Raymonde Joseph, his sisters Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight and his cousin Makayla Sitton. The defendant also shot and seriously injured his brother-in-law Patrick Knight, shot and injured his cousin Clifford Gebara and attempted to shoot his uncle Dr. Antoine Joseph. The defendant escaped the scene of the shooting and was captured by the U.S. Marshal's Service in the Florida Keys after an extensive man-hunt. The case was assigned to Assistant State Attorney Terri Skiles and Aleathea H. McRoberts along with Detective Eric Frank of the Jupiter Police Department.

State Attorney Michael McAuliffe stated in part: "I am well aware of the strong emotions that the issue of the death penalty evokes. I also am sensitive to the unique perspective of victims and family members in capital murder cases. In this case, some victims strongly urged a resolution of the case in order to re-build their lives; others strongly believed that any resolution short of an execution was an injustice. I have taken all these deeply held beliefs and sometimes conflicting wishes and sentiments into account in agreeing to this resolution. I believe that the seven consecutive life sentences recognize the heinous nature of the crimes and adequately punish the defendant for those crimes."