It looks like Kim Rothstein, who spent most of her marriage away from her Ponzi-scheming husband Scott, is facing some delays in breaking free and getting her name (literally) restored.
Anyone who has been following Florida news in the past few years has undoubtedly heard the name Rothstein, and for good reason. Scott Rothstein created and ran one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in Florida history, and is currently in prison with a 50-year sentence. Kim Rothstein was spared from that sentence, but she is serving 15 months in prison for hiding jewelry from federal investigators.
The no-fault divorce hit a snag when neither of the Rothsteins could attempt a brief court hearing, due to both of them being in prison. That was expected, and concessions were made, allowing Kim to phone in to the court and testify remotely. However, that too turned problematic when no one in the prison was able to put her under oath.
As Florida law requires that at least one person be able to swear in and say that the marriage is “irretrievably broken,” the hearing had to be postponed. Kim is the one on whom this task has fallen, since her husband has shown no interest in battling any of these charges or contesting anything in the divorce proceedings.
Even once the hearing is complete, though, Kim will hit another snag, as Circuit Judge Merrilee Ehrlich has stated she has no intention of giving Kim her maiden name back. She said “she has a felony conviction, that’s a basis for not restoring [her maiden name].”
Kim will be released early next year into a halfway house, and transitioned into house arrest from there. The judge has granted her a 2008 Cadillac that used to belong to her, but prosecution and bankruptcy costs have left the couple completely penniless otherwise.
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-rothstein-divorce-final-20141020-story.html