A Miami-Dade County judge issued an order in favor of the city of Miami in a lawsuit involving a property owner, now known by some Miami residents as "Slumlord Millionaire."

Miami-Dade County Judge Barbara Areces said Thursday that the city could move forward with taking back control of nine residential properties including, 6040 NW 12 Ave., at Miami's Liberty City neighborhood.

Areces ordered that attorney Linda Leali be appointed as the receiver, who will handle the buildings, while placing restrictions on the property owner's control.

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The order comes as the city and several tenants have pending lawsuit against the owner of the nine properties, and corporations linked to Denise Vaknin, of New Jersey. She became known as "Slumlord Millionaire" among her Liberty City tenants, because while they were suffering with deplorable living conditions she chose to live in a mansion.

New Jersey property records list Vaknin, 60, as the owner of a home valued at least $2.65 million. She was also listed as having worked for the Solomon Schechter Day School, a Hebrew Academy in New Jersey where a Moshe Vaknin was listed as the principal.

City officials said the properties' owners owe at least $2.4 million in fines related to different types of safety violations. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said the Florida legislature limits the power of city officials to deal with irresponsible landlords without hurting the tenants.

"The owners cannot be told, 'oh, you have 120 days to fix this,' because they won't," Regalado said earlier this week. "They just don't care. They are milking the cow. And that's a shame."

Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon said earlier this week the issue at the property in Liberty City is one of many examples of Miami's current affordable housing crisis. Hardemon said the government needs to provide housing and advocate for raising wages.

"There are people that live there that are paying rent and that are being mistreated. And so what we want to do is everything that we can do to put them in a better situation," Hardemon said.

Attorney Keith Silverstein said he started to represent Vaknin's companies earlier this week. He said the tenants of the nine buildings have not been paying rent. He asked the judge for more time and added that the property owners want to fix the problem.

"It's too little, too late," Areces said Thursday.

RELATED DOCUMENTSOrder appointing receiver Order of receivership Tenants' lawsuit

Assistant city attorney Rachel S. Glorioso Dooley is handling the case. She handles code enforcement matters and other quality of life issues for the city.

This isn't the first time Silverstein's client faces the outrage of government officials. At Crestmont Village in Houston, Texas, the tenants of a residential complex linked to Vaknin had to be relocated.  They also owed thousands of dollars in fines and nearly a million dollars in water bills.

Silverstein said the problem his clients are facing is a lack of funds.

"There is a serious cash crisis for these properties and it takes money to fix these conditions," Silverstein said. "And to the extent that additional capital has been raised, that money, it was hoped would be used to fix the conditions."

Follow Investigative Reporter Christina Vazquez on Twitter @CallChristinaTV

Local10.com reporter Andrea Torres contributed to this story.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker underwent surgery on his left foot Friday morning at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables.

The Dolphins announced that the surgery went smoothly and the team's first round selection in April's NFL Draft is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Parker, who has wowed fans and teammates during his work in minicamps, broke his left foot in 2014, causing him to miss half of his final season season at the University of Louisville.

At the time, Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino said Parker broke the fifth metatarsal.

Parker played in 42 career games while with the Cardinals and recorded 33 touchdowns. The touchdowns tied a school record and earned him second-team All-ACC honors as a senior, although he only played in six games.

Parker is not expected to play in the Dolphins minicamp.

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The state of Florida has taken emergency action against a South Florida retirement home after some residents were found bruised, bloody and battered.

Fighting fans will soon be able to see bare-knuckled, backyard-style brawls live online.

The fighter/promoter featured in the documentary "Dawg Fight" has started a new fighting league called BYB Extreme that is billed as more exciting than boxing and MMA.

Dhafir Harris, known as Dada 5000, said he plans to take matchups similar to those that used to happen in his southwest Miami-Dade backyard to a global audience.

"Just understanding where we came from to where we're at is a dream come true," Harris said.

The backyard brawls were brutal. There were few rules to govern the fights, and no medical staff on standby.

Harris said there are doctors on staff with BYB Extreme.

The first round of match-ups is scheduled to take place Friday and can be viewed online for $9.99.

Originally, Harris said the fights were to take place on the Resorts World Bimini superfast boat, but in an email to Local 10 News, a spokesperson wrote, "The event is no longer happening onboard our ship."

Harris said his team was working on securing a venue for Friday, but was certain a location would be nailed down.

Click here for more information on where to view Friday's fights.

Follow Janine Stanwood on Twitter @JanineStanwood

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A 31-year-old man is facing charges after exposing himself to a 9-year-old girl at a church in Miami, police said.

Demetrius Collins faces one count of lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child.

According to an arrest report, Collins made a "psst" sound at the victim May 7 at the United House of Prayer for All People in Miami. When she turned around, he had his penis exposed, police said.

The girl also told police that Collins showed her a pornographic photo on his cellphone in a separate incident and told her to bend down so he could put something in her mouth in a third incident.

Collins was arrested at his home Wednesday.

Detectives said he claimed that he only partially exposed his penis and accidentally showed her the pornography. Detectives said Collins confessed that he was referring to his penis when he told her that he was going to put something in her mouth.

Collins was ordered held in jail Thursday in lieu of a $22,500 bond.

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Police are asking for the public's help in locating a 71-year-old woman from Plantation who was reported missing this week.

Thelma Rhoden Davis was last seen walking away from her home about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 1413 NW 81st Terr.

Police said Davis suffers from dementia and high blood pressure and does not have her medication.

Anyone with information about Davis' whereabouts is asked to call Detective Robert Rettig at 954-797-2193.

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A Miami man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for beating his boyfriend to death.

As part of a deal with Miami-Dade County prosecutors, Andrew Cummings pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder. With credit for time served, he faces about four more years of prison.

Prosecutors said Cummings, 37, fatally beat Arsenio Lopez at a Miami condominium in January 2006. The case was featured on A&E's "The First 48," which follows homicide detectives as they investigate murders.

Cummings admitted on the show to injuring Lopez with a towel rod only after being attacked, but defense attorneys used the show to argue that Cummings was illegally detained by police after a hospital stay before waiving his right to remain silent.

A judge tossed his statement to police, and an appeals court upheld the decision.

Miami police cut ties with "The First 48" in 2013.

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A motorcyclist was killed after being struck by a semi-truck Friday morning in Hialeah.

The man was struck at the intersection of West Fourth Avenue and 53rd Street about 6:30 a.m. The truck driver stayed at the scene.

Traffic was being diverted from the intersection during the investigation.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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A Broward County judge called an emergency hearing for Friday after receiving an email from a juror in the Bilotti murder trial. In the email, the juror requested a lenient sentence for 27-year-old Christin Bilotti.

The letter read: "I'd like to begin to say that I thought you handled the Bilotti trial with (the) utmost professionalism, and in such a fair and courteous manner. Thank you for considering our schedules and family needs."

"There is one thing about the trial that I wanted to mention. It was very difficult to arrive at this verdict. I really wanted to see both sides, and I think some of the jurors were frustrated with me. (It was myself and (another juror) that challenged the other juror's decisions.)"

"I wanted to let you know that the verdict for Christin was especially difficult for me. I felt that although she led Richard to the home, she did not mean for him to be killed. I wanted a lesser charge for her, but because her intentions were to bring Rojas to a house where he could be harmed, it did not fit the manslaughter charge."

"Please, and I know you will be fair when giving her sentence. Also, does her age (at the time), (17) a minor, play a factor in the sentencing"

A response was sent to the juror that read: "Judge Levenson is in receipt of the email you sent regarding aspects of your jury service in the Bilotti/Pacchiana trial. He has shared the email and this response with each of the parties."

"Please know that he, along with the parties, are most grateful for your service. However, under Florida law, Judge Levenson is unable to reply to your email or otherwise discuss any aspect of this trial with you unless a legal need grounded in the law arises."

"Thank you again for your service in this case."

Christin Bilotti, Mike Bilotti, 60, and John Pacchiana, 42, were convicted in the murder trial last Friday.

After the verdict was read, the judge polled the jury, and each responded "yes" to finding Mike Bilotti and Pacchiana guilty of first-degree murder and Christin Bilotti guilty of second-degree murder.

The state and the defense are expected to make their feelings heard regarding the sentencing on Friday.

Throughout the case, Pacchiana claimed he was provoked, and was guarding the Bilottis' Davie home that morning in July 2005. He said he believed Christin Bilotti's ex-boyfriend, Richard Rojas, would follow through with a threat to return to the house in the middle of the night.

The state maintained that Rojas was lured to the house when Bilotti's daughter, then 17, falsely told her father that Rojas had raped her.

Wayne Palazzola, 47, and Richard Corbin, 39, who worked with Pacchiana at a Miami strip club owned by Bilotti, each pleaded guilty to an accessory charge in connection with the murder. They face between 13 and 30 years in prison when sentenced.

The Bilottis and Pacchiana face life in prison when they are sentenced July 8.

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Most of downtown Seattle burns to the ground, the first drive-in movie theater opens, Allied troops storm the beaches of Normandy, the Rolling Stones can't get no "Satisfaction," and "Tetris" is unleashed on the world, all on this day.

With a win, American Pharoah would become only the 12th Triple Crown winner in history.

Cheri Wachter from the Broward County Humane Society introduced us to a doggy anf kitty in the need of a forever home.

Home Safe Home: How to protect yourself from intruders

It was a graduation surprise some seniors will never forget after Dwyane Wade showed up for the ceremony, thanks all to one student's persistence.

Severe weather that passed through Key Largo around noon Friday produced a waterspout caught on camera.

The photo of the waterspout was taken by the folks at Extreme Nature on Instagram (@ExtremeNature).

The waterspout was caught on camera making its way across the 18-mile stretch of U.S. Route 1.

It dissipated after about five minutes.

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Two people were shot at a home in Miami Gardens shortly before noon on Friday, police confirmed.

Sky 10 was above the scene at 4460 NW 170th St. as a man was being loaded into a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter. 

One victim was taken to the trauma center at Aventura Hospital and the other was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Family members of the victims identified the men injured as Vincent White and his son-in-law, Ricky Richards. They said White and Richards were shot during a robbery at the home.

According to the family, White was shot in the leg and Richard was shot in the shoulder. Both men are expected to survive.

Police have not said whether anything was taken from the home. They are still looking for the gunman.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police.

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A student made a disgusting discovery at an end-of-the-year pizza party in a South Florida kindergarten class.

"One kid noticed something in his pizza," kindergarten teacher Yolanda Taylor told Local 10 News. "He said (it was) a hair."

But that hair was no hair at all.

"When we did unfold the cheese it was a roach," Taylor said. "It was under the cheese."

The incident happened at a pizza party at Rainbow Park Elementary School in Opa-locka.

It was a celebration that was immediately halted.

"Did they tell you to stop eating the pizza?" Local 10 News investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier asked the student who found the roach.

"Yes," the boy said.

Taylor said the six pizzas were ordered from a Papa John's at 13300 NW 27th Ave.

"The school is clean as can be, and for someone to receive something from the outside that was not clean was intolerable," Taylor said.

Taylor said Papa John's was "unapologetic."

"They were trying to give us a refund on two pizzas, and we bought six," she said.

Weinsier went to Papa John's to ask about the roach in the pizza. An employee covered his face with a pizza box and denied that the incident took place before a manager came outside to speak with Weinsier.

"How does that happen?" Weinsier asked.

"I cannot discuss anything at the moment," the manager told him.

"When can you discuss it?" Weinsier asked. "This place was shut down before. We were here for a rodent issue in 2014. Is this acceptable?"

In July 2014, the state found 20 violations at that Papa John's location, including rodent issues, and ordered it shut. So far this year, there have been no inspections there.

Weinsier asked the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation why.

Jess Boyd, a spokeswoman for the state agency, said the Papa John's in question is classified as a level-one risk, requiring a minimum of one inspection per fiscal year. She said the location had only one disciplinary case during the last two annual cycles and doesn't meet the qualifications for a more severe level-three classification. Boyd said there had been no prior complaints this fiscal year.

A customer who was waiting for her food had no idea about the roach in the pizza or the inspection history.

"You just ordered some pizza?" Weinsier asked.

"Yes, sir, and I just got my money back, too," the customer said. "That is ridiculous. That is gross. I told them to get their manager to clean it up because I won't be back."

Papa John's issued a statement about the incident late Friday afternoon.

"Food safety is of the utmost important to Papa John's," the statement said. "We sincerely regret the incident and are currently investigating it with the franchisee location involved."

Papa John's said the franchise owner of 31 stores in the Miami area was immediately on-site to address the issue. The owner apologized to the customer and offered a full refund.

The location received a "pass" rating on its last health inspection report, and an emergency state inspection Friday afternoon resulted in the same rating, Papa John's said.

Papa John's also conducted an inspection April 30, giving the location an "A" rating. Papa John's said it will conduct a follow-up inspection within 24 hours.

Although the pizza provided for the party was returned, the party didn't end. Taylor and the students simply ordered roach-free pizzas from somewhere else.

Follow Jeff Weinsier on Twitter @jweinsier

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Boy finds roach in Papa John's pizza

A woman struck by a piece of a baseball bat at Boston's Fenway Park on Friday night suffered "life-threatening" injuries, Boston police spokesman David Estrada said.

The incident happened during the second inning of the Red Sox game against the Oakland Athletics when Athletics' third baseman Brett Lawrie was at bat.

Alex Merlas of Brookline told the Boston Globe, "Brett Lawrie hit the ball and the bat snapped in half near the end of the bat. It hit on the forehead to the top of the head ... it was a blunt trauma and it was a lot of blood. I don't think I've ever seen that much blood."

The woman, who was sitting along the third base line, was taken from the stadium on a stretcher and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

"She seemed in shock, she was not aware of what was going on, pushing help away," fan Arvald Karp told the Globe. "She was pushing the towel away, and she was out of it."

The woman was sitting with her husband and son at the time, police spokeswoman Rachel McGuire told the Globe.

Witnesses posted their accounts of the incident on social media, describing a bloody scene.

A Miami woman accused of abusing her 10-month-old daughter is telling a different story to Local 10 News, saying she did not hurt her child.

Mohamed "Michael" Ghanem has been living the high life, with a $10 million home in Boca Raton, a 65-foot yacht, trips in private jets, and the finest cars in the world, which he sold at the Domani Motors exotic car dealership in Deerfield Beach.  

But his past caught up with him on Wednesday when federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives served search warrants at his home, business, and that yacht, called the Enigma.

Ghanem had been convicted in 2002 of federal racketeering, a first-degree felony, after he and his brother Abbas Ghanem were charged with ripping off insurance companies at their family-owned auto repair shops.

Federal agents allege that despite that conviction, the two brothers had amassed 23 firearms that were seized from his brother's Boca Raton home. Federal agents arrested Ghanem at Domani Motors and incarcerated him and his brother on firearm possession by convicted felons.

Domani Motors, with its fleet of Bentleys, Ferraris, and Porsches, remains open because it is owned on paper by Ghanem's wife, Darlene Daik-Ghanem. On Friday, she distanced herself from her husband, calling him a "salesman," and stating that she was already in the process of divorcing him when the raid came down.

"It had nothing to do with my business, they were employees," she said. "I run a clean business and what happened has nothing to do with Domani. Is my husband an idiot? Yes, he's an idiot."

According to the criminal complaint, Ghanem told agents he had purchased the weapons in anticipation his civil rights would be restored, though he admitted they had not been.

Abbas Ghanem was released from federal detention on Thursday after posting an $800,000 bond.

Michael Ghanem,  who faces up to 10 years in prison, remains behind bars prior to a magistrate court hearing set for Monday morning in Palm Beach County.

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