GUILTY VERDICT FOR MURDERER OF ROTHSTEIN PONZI SCHEME PARTNER

Scot Rothstein and the late Melissa Lewis

A jury in a criminal case in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has found the former husband of a law partner  convicted in the case of Ponzi schemer/attorney Scott Rothstein, guilty of murder, and the Court gave him a mandatory life sentence. Rothstein firm attorney Melissa Lewis, who was the best friend of convicted firm CEO Debra Villegas, was killed by Villegas' ex-husband.

The trial of the case was delayed several years, due to insanity defense issues. Debra Villegas was sentenced to ten years in Federal Prison for her role in the billion dollar Ponzi scheme, orchestrated primarily by attorney Scott Rothstein, who sold bogus out-of-court settlements in discrimination and sexual harassment cases to unsuspecting investors. In truth and in fact, he was paying older investors with money received from new victims. Rothstein is serving a 50-year sentence for his Ponzi scheme.

 Debra Villegas sentence was subsequently reduced for Substantial Assistance, and she testified at trial against her former husband, Tony Villegas.