PBSO

Goodman says he was protecting his kids.

​Wellington multimillionaire John Goodman knows he might be going away for a while. The founder of the International Polo Club is facing multiple criminal charges for allegedly driving drunk and causing the car accident that killed 23-year-old Scott Wilson in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, and failure to render aid; his trial is scheduled for March.

Apparently, Goodman,48, is worried enough about doing prison time that he devised a bizarre way to make sure his two young children are provided for in his absence. He adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend, Heather Hutchins, so she could look after his kids' trust funds and give them most of the money, according to a statement Goodman's attorney, Daniel Bachi, released today.

"Mr. Goodman has placed his trust in Ms. Hutchins to continue his vision and provide
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PBSO

Goodman called his girlfriend after the crash.

​Rich people do strange things to protect their money. Wellington polo mogul John Goodman went so far as to adopt his 42-year-old girlfriend to preserve his family's fortune. Which means, legally, he's his girlfriend's dad, and... well, you get the idea.

Why would a multimillionaire do such a thing? Goodman, 48, has a few good reasons. He's currently facing criminal charges for allegedly driving drunk and causing a car accident that killed 23-year-old Scott Wilson in 2010. Wilson's parents have sued Goodman for damages that could top $100 million, and his children's trust funds have become an issue of contention in the case. Adopting his girlfriend, Heather Hutchins, and making her a beneficiary of the trusts means she immediately inherits a portion of the money, according to WPEC-Channel 12. Theoretically, she couldMore >>

"Gimme dat money!"

​I admit there's almost no Broward/Palm Beach connection to the super PAC run by Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, but I'm going to be waist-deep in South Florida's disclosure forms for a while, so hopefully this will tide you over.More >>

​​For the national media, Dalia Dippolito's murder-for-hire saga is the gift that keeps on giving. Boynton Beach's most infamous newlywed has been convicted of plotting to have her husband whacked, and is now on house arrest while appealing that conviction. Yet national TV crime shows are still getting plenty of mileage out of her sordid tale of sex, lies, and videotape.

Last night, the Oxygen show Snapped, which "profiles the fascinating cases of women accused of murder," devoted an entire hour to the Dippolito story. Of course, Dalia was not interviewed. Instead, viewers were introduced to

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Tony Villages is still awaiting trial.

​It's been nearly four years since Melissa Britt Lewis, a 39-year-old Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler attorney, was found murdered, her body dumped in a Plantation canal. The man charged with killing her avoided trial for years because he was initially deemed mentally incompetent.

Tony Villegas, 48, was finally supposed to face a jury next week, but today his attorney received a continuance in the case. The trial date has not yet been rescheduled. Al Milian, a member of Villegas'  defense team, could not immediately be reached for comment this morning. Villegas has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Lewis' murder has been back in the headlines thanks to the recent deposition of convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein. Lawyers grilled Rothstein about his relationship with Lewis and suggested she might have been killed because "she knew too much."
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"You're disgusting!" says Ponzi schemer.

​He's a Ponzi schemer, a fraudster, involved with corrupt politicians and the Mob, but Scott Rothstein insists he's not a murderer.

Under intense questioning by attorney Mary Barzee Flores during a deposition last month, the  "Prince of Darkness" vehemently denied being involved in the 2008 murder of one of his employees, Melissa Britt Lewis. In fact, Rothstein -- who earlier admitted he slept with Lewis while he was her law school professor -- got so huffy at Barzee Flores' questioning that he had to take a break from the depo.

"Excuse me?" he said. "Are you attempting to insinuate that I had something to do with that poor girl's death? Have you lost your mind?"
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andpop.com

​"You need to be on your tip-top game with your GTL to stay FTD to get the girls to DTF in MIA... say that 5 times fast." -- Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino

A South Florida federal court and the clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch now have a situation -- the Situation.

The Jersey Shore star and his company, MPS Entertainment, are named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed yesterday against Abercrombie, alleging they were serving him the hater-juice by putting variations of his nickname and his famous G.T.L. (Gym, Tan, Laundry) acronym on their clothing without his consent.

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Consult the internet for less fabric.

​A Jacksonville man named Christopher Chaney has been identified by the FBI as the man who graced the interwebs with nude photos of actress Scarlett Johansson.

He also faces 121 years in prison for allegedly doing so.

In a news conference this afternoon, the FBI announced that Chaney was arrested without incident in Jacksonville after a federal grand jury indicted him on 26 charges.

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Florida is shaped like a...

​Last night, Jon Stewart focused his beloved comic lens on the Florida GOP's recent decision to move its presidential primary date up from March to January. The Daily Show host gleefully ripped the state a new one for having the audacity to seek more power over the electoral process. And yes, he brought up hanging chads.More >>

[Insert COPS theme song here]

​In August 2009, the Boynton Beach police took a gamble on a sexy case. A young, flirtatious, cosmetically enhanced newlywed named Dalia Dippolito was plotting to have her husband killed. She hired a hit man, who turned out to be an undercover cop.

One morning, Dalia went to the gym as usual. When she got home, she discovered an elaborate, staged crime scene outside her condo. The Boynton cops soberly informed her that her husband was dead. She burst into melodramatic sobs.

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