The Real Housewives of Miami premieres on Bravo on February 22, introducing the world to six new sexy Bravolebrities from the shores of South Beach. BravoTV.com has posted some photos and brief bios of the ladies so I thought I might compile all that info as well as some links and additional images from around the web!
Lets take a look at Lea Black, a Miami socialite married to one of the nation’s leading defense attorneys Roy Black, beginning with her bio from Bravo:
“Deeply loved, occasionally uncompromising, but universally respected, this Texas native is leaving an indelible mark on Miami. Married to one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the country, Roy Black, and raising their 9-year-old son, Lea has a reputation as a community leader. She raised money for President Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign as well as many other local Florida politicians, and spends a majority of her time working towards the success of her own beloved charity.”
The social event that Lea is most renowned for down in Miami is her and her husband’s annual gala known as “The Black’s Annual Gala and The Consequences Charity.” When an event has its own website you know it’s a big deal! Here is how Lea and her husband define the gala and charity:
“The Consequences Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization supporting at-risk youth through education, resources, support, mentoring, art, design and culture.
Working with Juvenile Services Department, the Consequences curriculum helps give kids in trouble the tools they need to turn their life around.”
Last year’s 15th anniversary gala included an impressive list of celebrities according to Miami Sociaholic. Among those in attendance were Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Gloria Estefan, Grammy award winning producer Bobby Flay, NBA star Alonzo Mourning and, wait for it, Kim Zolciak! Here is a photo of Lea and Roy from their gala in ’09:
^Johnny Louis/WENN.com
As mentioned, Miami superstar Gloria Estefan is a regular at the Black’s social event. Here is a photo of Lea with Gloria and other friends from last year’s gala:
^Johnny Louis/WENN.com
Man that’s a truck load of bling Lea is rocking in that photo. Her neck must have been fatigued at the end of the evening toting around that many carats!
As for the man behind the Real Housewife, Roy Black is a big time defense attorney with an impressive lists of clients on his resume. Here is a little bio info on Roy from his firm’s official website:
Perhaps best known for his successful defense of William Kennedy Smith on rape charges in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Black also successfully defended Eller Media (now known as Clear Channel Outdoor) against manslaughter charges stemming from the bus-bench electrocution of a 12-year-old boy in Miami; Albertson’s, Inc., when the State of Florida charged the Fortune 500 company with manslaughter in the death of a shoplifter; and artist Peter Max in New York. Other noteworthy clients have included Rush Limbaugh, Kelsey Grammar, South Florida police officers Luis Alvarez and William Lozano and banker Fred De la Mata. Roy has defended numerous other clients on charges ranging from murder to securities fraud, bank fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, internet sex crimes, mail and wire fraud and tax evasion.
Most recently, Mr. Black successfully represented 3-time Indy 500 winner and Dancing with the Stars champion Helio Castroneves in a 6-week tax trial where he was charged with income tax evasion.
I don’t think any of us have to ask where all of Lea’s money comes from now! Actually we do, it turns out that Lea was a highly successful jewelry salesperson and owner of Lea Cosmetics International, Inc. James Davis, a famous Drag Queen who goes by the persona Elaine Lancaster and will be featured frequently on the RHoM, told Radar that Lea had more money than Roy when they got married.
Lea has launched a Twitter page but has yet to make any posts. You can catch up with that here.
