Carmel on the Case: 7's Top 7 - Carmel on the Case

WSVN -- From funky to charges of foreclosure fraud. This past year has seen South Floridians hurting each other again.

Senior citizens make easy targets.

Pamella: "I'm devastated and I'm sad that it has, that people are coming in and using him as a meal ticket."

Her 87-year-old uncle paid thousands for nonexistent yard work at his modest home.

Daniel Smith: "I have no idea. I have no idea."

BSO busted several landscapers as a result.

Raphael Ramirez: "I have no questions."

It was a difficult year for animals.

There are still unanswered questions about thousands of sick and hundreds of dead dogs linked to imported chicken jerky treats from China.

Nancy Morrissey: "I found puddles of blood all over the floor and big clots and the dog was crying and dragging on the floor."

The treats are still on store shelves.

Disturbing video captured a dog attacking and killing a defenseless cat. The cruelty earned the man walking the dog a three year prison sentence.

We made a bizarre discovery in far western Miami-Dade.

Richard Couto: "This is a kitty so they are sacrificing domestic pets on this site."

At what appeared to be a religious site, there were all kinds of animal bones and even a human skull. Authorities suspect it was stolen from a grave.

Then there is Rob Weiner.

Detectives said he claimed to be a member of a big time band and used that to lure escorts to South Florida and then rip them off.

After our story, a tip helped authorities find and arrest Weiner.

This year dozens of people involved in South Florida's pill mill epidemic, first exposed by 7News, paid a price for their behavior.

Owners and operators have traded fancy cars and cushy lifestyles for life behind bars. And doctors who worked for them are facing the same possible fate.

Pills weren't the only issue for those in the health care field.

A disgraced former chiropractor was unlicensed and on probation but authorities said that didn't stop him from seeing patients.

Questionable behavior was also at the heart of another investigation into the conduct of former Judge Ana Maria Pando.

We first revealed she had used her position to help a friend's business and that got her in hot water with the organization that oversees judicial behavior. She lost her bid for re-election and the charges against her were dismissed after Pando agreed not to run for judicial office again.

And as always, not everyone was happy to see us . But then others just can't resist the camera.

2013 promises to provide more of the same.

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