Judge Deborah White-Labora of Miami; cheerleader for convicted felons

The state of Florida presented Deborah White-Labora with a law license in 1982 after she graduated from Emory University School of Law.

It should be noted that Debbie has had her significant snout firmly implanted in the public trough for the twenty-seven years. Apparently, no self-respecting law firm in the greater Miami area was about to offer he a good paying job.

The Judicial Qualifications Commission has charged Debbie with engaging in the following misconduct.

In one matter, Debbie wrote a character reference for Sam Konell, who was awaiting sentencing by a U.S. District Court judge Jose Martinez.

Konell was a member of a group that was charged with Medicare fraud. Subsequently, Konell plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks.

As part of his plea arrangement, Konell admitted to receiving kickbacks and bribes for referrals for six years. He said his co-conspirators and Greater Miami Behavioral Healthcare (GMBH) took care to disguise the kickback payments. The conspiracy led to Konell making representations to judges and others in the Miami-Dade country state court system that the persons he referred to GMBH received medically necessary PHP services.

Despite Konell’s conviction and admission of engaging in a years-long fraud of the government, Debbie found it acceptable to write a character reference letter on the convict’s behalf while he was awaiting sentencing in federal court. Debbie’s letter was written on judicial letterhead and signed “Deborah White-Labora, County Court Judge.”

It appears that Debbie has a soft spot in her heart for convicted conmen who have defrauded the government out of hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. What’s next for Debbie? Will she feel compelled to write a good-character reference letter for a convicted child molester?

As a direct consequence of her misconduct, the cheerleaders for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Florida Supreme Court punished Debbie by gifting her with a complimentary reprimand.

As we speak (ca. September 2018), Debbie continues to sit as a County Judge in Miami Florida.