The Art of the Steal: Broward County FL sex crimes persecutor Stacey Honowitz doesn't want Anti-Registry Activists mentioning her shoplifting arrest

Considering the author's arrest for shoplifting, I feel a sequel to her children's book is needed, we  can call it "Don't Steal, It's a Big Deal." it could be a story about a Broward County S*x Crimes prosecutor who slipped $42.93 worth of cosmetics into her purse in a Publix, got busted, then used her position to get off. While she writes books telling people hands off, she doesn't apply "hands off" principles to her own behavior. She obviously can't be held to the same standards as the rest of us since the prosecutor's office refused to pursue it, so did she truly learn a lesson? 

Or, maybe she can call it "The Art of the Steal", a lesson on saving money using the ol' five finger discount. 

You want to hear something funny? I would not have even known about this had she (or rather, her attorney) not sent a letter to Florida Action Committee requesting they take down a post about her 2018 arrest:

https://floridaactioncommittee.org/prosecutor-stacey-honowitz-wants-her-arrest-post-removed/

Prosecutor Stacey Honowitz wants her arrest post removed

Dec 11, 2020 | 22 comments

We received an email from an attorney requesting we remove a certain post from our website. The post concerned Broward Sex Crimes Prosecutor Stacey Honowitz’s arrest for shoplifting at a Publix Supermarket in 2018. The removal request appears below:

Good Day,

I hope this message finds you well in these trying times. I am writing on behalf of Stacey Honowitz to kindly request the removal of the article published to the above-copied link. The incident, a misunderstanding, is a most embarrassing blemish on Ms. Honowitz’s otherwise pristine record and career. The charge was readily nolle prossed (please see attached). As you can certainly appreciate, the continued publication has caused and continues to cause Ms. Honowitz great distress and damage to her reputation.

Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions. We thank you in advance for your time dedicated to this sensitive matter.

Cordially Yours,

Vanessa McGill

Stacey Honowitz is a sex crimes prosecutor and an advocate for harsher sex offender restrictions. To quote Ms. Honowitz, “Tougher laws [are] needed to protect our kids from sex offenders.”

While we agree with Ms. Honowitz that sexual abuse needs to be prevented, we strongly disagree that tougher laws are needed to protect anyone from persons forced to register as “sex offenders”. The overwhelming majority (95%+) of people on the registry will not re-offend and are trying to live productive lives, yet the continued publication of their information on a public registry prevents them from obtaining employment, housing and other basic needs for themselves and their families.

For most registrants, their crime was a one-time offense and a complete aberration in an otherwise law abiding life. Surely most were guilty, but many were not. Some were wrongfully accused, baited and switched in a sting, or a misunderstanding for which they took a plea decades ago out of convenience and to avoid the risk of jail time without knowing what was to come as far as the registry. Arguably their incidents are also a “most embarrassing blemish” in an “otherwise pristine record” and “the continued publication” of their information on a sex offender registry “has caused and continues to cause” them “great distress and damage”.

So what to do about this request to remove the article? Since the letter came from an attorney who lists one of her areas of practice as defamation cases, the implication is that if we chose not to take down the article we might face a lawsuit. However, the Miami Herald’s story, Veteran Sex-Crimes Prosecutor Accused of Shoplifting is still up. So is the Sun-Sentinel’s coverage. The surveillance footage of her sticking the cosmetic items in her purse and leaving the store has not been taken down. So why should we remove our post?

We did update the story to state that the charges were nolle prossed, but do we need to take down the entire article? Even if the shoplifting incident was unintentional and she simply forgot to pay for the items or mindlessly put them in her purse without realizing, she prosecutes people who unknowingly or unintentionally violate a technical registration rule all the time and even if decades have passed without incident, her office still vigorously opposes petitions for removal from the registry.

It’s very possible that the arrest has given Ms. Honowitz a different perspective and greater empathy for people who “as [she] can certainly appreciate” are suffering great distress and damage from their continued publication on the registry. Or, it’s possible she could care less. We’d like to see where she stands in light of the fact that she’s “kindly requesting” we take down a post.

Frankly we’re impressed that our little forum would even concern her enough to retain an attorney to contact us. But, before we act on the request, we’d really like to hear the thoughts of our membership, so please feel free to share them in the comments below. We’d also love to hear from Ms.Honowitz herself, given the ironic nature of her request. If she would like to be a guest on a future member call, consider this a public invitation.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article218555925.html

Broward sex-crimes prosecutor accused of shoplifting at Aventura Publix

BY DAVID OVALLE

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 04:12 PM, 

Stacey Honowitz, a Broward prosecutor and author of “Genius with a Penis, Don’t Touch!” HANDOUT

A high-profile Broward prosecutor who supervises cases against child molesters and rapists is facing a misdemeanor shoplifting charge after police said she swiped $42.93 worth of beauty products from an Aventura Publix.

Stacey Honowitz, 56, was charged with retail theft on Saturday. She was not booked into a jail. Instead, she signed a notice promising to appear in Miami-Dade court, which is not unusual in minor cases.

According to an arrest report, Honowitz slipped the three “beauty products” into her purse but was spotted by a manager via closed-circuit television. The manager confronted Honowitz, who handed over the stolen goods, according to the Aventura police report.

She has been suspended and will take vacation time until the case is sorted out, a Broward State Attorney’s spokeswoman told reporters in a statement.

“We have been made aware of the incident by the prosecutor. She has been suspended pending an administrative review. She will be utilizing her vacation time until we complete the investigation,” said spokeswoman Constance Simmons.

Her defense attorney, Jayne Weintraub, called the Publix incident an “honest mistake.”

“She inadvertently did not pay for the cosmetics when she checked out and paid for her $130.00 groceries,” Weintraub said in a statement. “She did not even leave the store after she paid. She then purchased lottery tickets and was chatting with another customer. There was no intent to commit a crime at all.”

Honowitz is the author of two children’s books on sexual abuse and frequently appears on cable television news networks as a legal analyst. One book is called “My Privates are Private”; the other is “Genius with a Penis, Don’t Touch!” Both are designed to teach kids about recognizing inappropriate advances.

“When she isn’t putting bad guys behind bars, Honowitz works to educate parents and children about child molestation and the importance of reporting abuse as the first step to healing,” according to her website.

Honowitz could not be reached for comment.

Five years ago, Honowitz appeared at Miami-Dade bond court when her brother was arrested on allegations he was wanted in Colorado on theft and forgery charges. During the hearing, Honowitz mentioned her job several times before the judge let her brother free from jail.

She insisted her appearance in Miami court was appropriate. “I went down there as a loving sister,” Honowitz told the Miami Herald at the time. “I just happen to be a prosecutor. This is a terrible ordeal.”