Date Archives April 2018

Sandra Grazzini-Rucki re-sentenced; will serve 14 additional days in prison

Sandra Grazzini-Rucki executed the remainder of her jail sentence at a court hearing this morning at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings, Minnesota. Grazzini-Rucki received credit for serving 226 days in jail and will serve the balance of her sentence – 14 days – at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee.

Grazzini-Rucki will remain on supervised release for an additional 4 1/2 months after she finishes her sentence.

The court hearing was momentarily delayed because Grazzini-Rucki refused to walk from the jail facility to the courtroom. She was placed in a wheelchair and transported to a holding cell near the courtroom.

Nearly 45 minutes after the hearing was scheduled to start, Grazzini-Rucki walked briskly into the courtroom smiling, without the assistance of a wheelchair.

Through her public defender, Scott Baker, Grazzini-Rucki claimed she suffered injuries during her transport from a jail in Florida to Minnesota. Grazzini-Rucki claimed she suffered a broken nose, a concussion, and injured her neck, and back. She also claimed she suffered a spinal cord injury.

Her attorney said he had no records to confirm Grazzini-Rucki’s claims. She requested to be immediately released from custody.

This request was denied, by Judge Terrence E. Conkel.

Assistant Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said she had no information to validate Grazzini-Rucki’s claims of being injured while en route to Minnesota.

Keena said Grazzini-Rucki did not appear injured when she walked into the courtroom. She added that Grazzini-Rucki is prone to “exaggerating.”

Once Grazzini-Rucki entered the courtroom, the hearing lasted approximately 10 minutes. Grazzini-Rucki declined to make any statement to the court prior to being sentenced.

Unlike previous court hearings, Grazzini-Rucki had no supporters in the courtroom.
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UPDATE: Sandra Grazzini-Rucki back in jail in Minnesota

UPDATE (12:30 PM, Monday, April 23, 2018) – Sandra Grazzini-Rucki had a brief court appearance this morning at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings, Minnesota. Grazzini-Rucki is being held without bail pending her next court appearance, scheduled for Friday at 9 AM. Grazzini-Rucki has applied to be represented by a public defender, despite living in a waterfront estate community in Clearwater, Florida. Stay tuned for updates. Continue reading

Dede Evavold creates confusion over jail sentence

Dede Evavold was not required to report to jail today, despite Evavold herself publishing documents which claimed she was scheduled to serve 15 days in jail starting on April 19, 2018, and continuing each April 19 until 2023.

Evavold created the confusion last year when she published documents which detailed her scheduled for reporting to jail for the next six years related to her felony convictions for her role in the disappearance of Samantha Rucki and her sister Gianna, who were abducted near their home on Lakeville by their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, during a custody and divorce proceeding.

After reviewing court documents which conflicted with Evavold’s claims, court staff at the Dakota County Judicial Center was able to verify that the information posted by Evavold was incorrect and she was not required to report to jail today.

Dede Evavold (in white) sits in the front row of the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee next to Michelle MacDonald (in red) on April 17, 2018.
Dede Evavold (in white) sits in the front row of the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee next to Michelle MacDonald (in red) on April 17, 2018.

In a bizarre unrelated development, Evavold attended a public committee hearing of the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week. Evavold was seen on public television sitting and chatting with Michelle MacDonald, who is Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney.

Evavold served as MacDonald’s campaign chair and manager during MacDonald’s unsuccessful bid for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014.

MacDonald’s law license was “conditionally reinstated” in the last few weeks by the Minnesota Supreme Court after her license was suspended related to her conduct while serving as Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney and her legal representation of Joseph Francis D’Costa. Continue reading

‘Homeless’ and ‘penniless’ Sandra Grazzini-Rucki signed a lease to live at Florida condominium

Despite repeated claims that she is “homeless” and “penniless”, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki signed a lease in March 2016 to live at a waterfront estate community in Clearwater, Florida, according to the owner of the condominium where she has been living.

Staff at the office which manages of the waterfront estate community also confirmed yesterday that Grazzini-Rucki was living in a condominium on the property and was seen by staff within the last month.

Missing in Minnesota published information in January based on public records which showed that a person named “Jaclyn Auld” with the same birthday as Grazzini-Rucki was residing with John “Jack” Auld in Clearwater, Florida.

After a warrant was issued for her arrest on March 26, 2018, Grazzini-Rucki turned herself in at approximately 9:00 PM the following evening at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office which is located just seven miles away from her home in Clearwater, Florida.

According to public court documents and staff at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Grazzini-Rucki falsely claimed she was homeless when being booked into custody.

Picture source: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
Picture source: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office

Over the last few days, Missing in Minnesota worked to provide additional evidence to refute claims made by Grazzini-Rucki and her attorneys and supporters that Grazzini-Rucki is homeless. Supporters of Grazzini-Rucki have gone so far as to claim that Grazzini-Rucki “relies on couch surfing” and eats “cold cans of Spaghetti-O’s in order to survive.”

In fact, yesterday morning while Missing in Minnesota was working to confirm additional details about Grazzini-Rucki’s lease for her condominium in Clearwater, Florida, a supporter of Grazzini-Rucki and self-described “investigative reporter” posted a blog story which falsely claimed she was “rendered homeless” and living “on the street” in Florida.

Michelle MacDonald claimed in an affidavit filed with the Minnesota Supreme Court last September that Grazzini-Rucki was “homeless.” MacDonald’s law license was suspended for 60 days in part for her misrepresenting facts while serving as Grazzini-Rucki’s family court attorney.

For nearly six years Grazzini-Rucki has falsely claimed she is homeless and destitute in an attempt to manipulate public opinion and the legal system.

In reality, Grazzini-Rucki had access to over $2 million from her family in the last eight years, and the total amount of her current net worth is unknown.

Grazzini-Rucki’s false claims of homelessness are part of a documented pattern of lies from Grazzini-Rucki, who admitted during her criminal trial that she had repeatedly been “dishonest” in previous court hearings.

But as Grazzini-Rucki sits in jail in Clearwater, Florida, awaiting transport back to Minnesota, further confirmation that she has not been “homeless” could have serious ramifications when Grazzini-Rucki eventually appears again in a courtroom in Dakota County. Continue reading