By Peter Franceschina
Sun Sentinel

Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein's former law partner Stuart Rosenfeldt is under oath today in a bankruptcy deposition. Updates will be at the top of the blog; the set-up piece is below.

3:30 p.m.

Rosenfeldt declined to answer questions about a series of e-mails that Rothstein sent out in the fall of 2006 complaining to his firm's lawyers that they were not bringing in enough business or cash. "I want all of us to be very rich," Rothstein wrote.

But Rosenfeldt said he never studied his firm's books or knew how much the firm was making. "It was money issues -- Scott's job," he said.

He also testified he wasn't curious about how he could be paid so highly. "It seemed fair to me," he said.

Then he started taking the Fifth when it came to specifics of his salary.

"You got all this money because you turned a blind eye to all the things Scott was doing in the firm, right?"

Rosenfeldt didn't answer.

2 p.m.

Rosenfeldt is now declining to answer questions about his compensation from his law firm, including the $6 million he was paid in 2008. He also wouldn't answer questions about a $3.9 million check he was given.

His defense attorney, Bruce Lehr, said Rosenfeldt's pay is part of the federal investigation. "I have information that is part of the U.S. Attorney's investigation," Lehr said.

Rosenfeldt also won't answer questions about loans from the law firm or payments that he made to others. Lehr said both of those areas are also under investigation.

Bankruptcy attorney Chuck Lichtman asked if he was paid such high sums so that he would let Rothstein run the law firm with no oversight. Rosenfeldt didn't answer.

12:45 p.m.

Rosenfeldt's monthly credit charges covered by his law firm rose steadily over the months. By mid-2009, he was charging upwards of $85,000 a month for everything from jewelry to clothes to Colorado vacations. He won't answer any questions about the charges. He just utters one word, "Fifth."

11:45 a.m.

With the questioning on the credit card charges, Rosenfeldt has now invoked the Fifth Amendment hundreds of times since the depo began. A small smile crept onto his face twice when asked about purchases at a reptile store. When asked if a particular jewelry purchase was for "someone other than your wife," Rosenfeldt again refused to answer.

11 a.m.

Rosenfeldt is back to not answering questions put to him about his salary and what his criminal defense attorney called his "extravagant" lifestyle. His defense attorney said his pay and lifestyle are under investigation by federal prosecutors.

Rosenfeldt appears a bit nervous. His hands are often clasped in front of him, his interlaced fingers wiggling. At one point he chewed on a fingernail. He's now not answering any questions about $1 million in charges on a law firm American Express card. He is sipping from a bottle of Lipton iced tea.

Rothstein authorized Rosenfeldt to charge $35,000 a month on the card beginning in April 2007, according to a Rothstein e-mail, but Rosenfeldt wouldn't answer any questions about that. His voice is monotone as he repeatedly declines to answer questions about the credit charges.

"I would love to discuss it," he has said several times, but he says he's following his attorney's advice.

10 a.m.

The questioning has moved off campaign finance and Rosenfeldt is now answering some questions. He testified he never looked at his law firm's books.

"Scott ran the firm, made all the decisions," he said. "If you hired me to manage your firm it's pretty much guaranteed your firm would go bankrupt."

9:30 a.m.

Rosenfeldt is being questioned about his campaign contributions. He has asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 50 times. He is flanked by three attorneys.

"Pursuant to my lawyer's advice I have to assert my Fifth Amendment rights," Rosenfeldt keeps repeating.

Earlier entry:

Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein’s former law partner Stuart Rosenfeldt is scheduled to face some tough questioning Friday morning during a bankruptcy deposition.

If the deposition goes like some of the others involving the people closest to Rothstein, there may be some fireworks. The depo is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m., but they typically start a few minutes late. This blog will be updated periodically through the day.

Rosenfeldt, 55, a Boca Raton resident, was the troubled face of the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm in the weeks after its implosion in early November. Then he deliberately faded from the media limelight.

He could have quite a story to tell, if he doesn’t take the Fifth. Rosenfeldt has maintained that he, too, was a victim of his partner and didn’t know about the fraud scheme.

He founded the now-bankrupt law firm with his close friend in 2002. He was a first-hand witness to the wild juggernaut that followed as Rothstein climbed in legal, business, charitable and political circles.

Rosenfeldt can expect extensive questions about how the downtown Fort Lauderdale law firm operated during the $1.4 billion fraud scheme. No doubt Rothstein’s extravagant lifestyle – and the enormous sums Rosenfeldt was paid as a 50-percent partner – will also be front and center.

Bankruptcy attorney Chuck Lichtman has shown he can be relentless if need be. The bankruptcy attorneys are going to want to know about every penny Rosenfeldt spent, as well as the nearly $500,000 in political contributions he and his wife made, which bankruptcy lawyers allege were funneled through the law firm.

They also will likely ask him about the Ferrari that Rothstein gave him.

"It was a gift," Rosenfeldt told the Sun Sentinel last November. "He liked generous displays."

In terms of compensation, Rosenfeldt was well paid, according to the clawback suit filed against him. The numbers: $600,000 in 2006; $1.2 million in 2007; $6 million in 2008; and $946,000 in 2009.

The IRS has given one indication of how well Rosenfeldt was paid – the agency filed a $10.5 million tax lien against Rosenfeldt for the 2008 tax year.

Rosenfeldt also had access to a law firm American Express card, on which he racked up $1 million in charges going back to 2006, according to the clawback suit.

The suit indicates the tenor of the questions Rosenfeldt faces on the credit charges: “Examples of Rosenfeldt’s personal expenses paid by RRA that personally benefitted Rosenfeldt and Susanne Rosenfeldt include: 72 pieces of jewelry purchased from J.R. Dunn Jewelers, numerous local hotel room charges, furniture for their home, vacations and personal travel, exotic reptiles, home repairs, athletic club charges, men’s and women’s clothing, groceries, charitable contributions, personal meals, general household items and other items.”

(This is a snapshot of a collage that hung in Rothstein's office. The plaque read,"Two Guys and a Law Firm Does a Great Pair of Wacky Bosses Make!")

Rosenfeldt was working toward a settlement of the clawback suit, which is one reason his depo has not yet been taken. But those negotiations broke down; Lichtman accused Rosenfeldt of negotiating in bad faith, but Rosenfeldt’s bankruptcy lawyer, Luis Salazar, denied that.

Interestingly, Rosenfeldt’s criminal defense attorney, Bruce Lehr, filed an appearance this week in the clawback suit. That will give him a seat at the deposition table. Lehr did not want to comment Thursday on Rosenfeldt’s potential criminal exposure.

“He has done his best from day one to cooperate with the bankruptcy trustee to the best of his ability,” Lehr said.

Rosenfeldt may be well represented. Two other attorneys filed appearances this week, Mitchell Fuerst, and Shawn Birken, a former RRA lawyer who is now partners with Rosenfeldt.

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