FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday removed disgraced Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein from the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

Crist also for the first time on Tuesday denounced Rothstein for allegedly exploiting investors in what the FBI called a Ponzi scheme.

"Certainly, this is not the person that Dan Marino knew or Alex Sink knew or I knew or many, many others," Crist said. "It's a sad state of affairs. It's horrific in the impact that it has on people's lives."

Asked by Local 10 political reporter Michael Putney if he regretted getting so close to Rothstein, who prominently displayed photos of the two in his office, the governor said, "Hindsight is always 20-20, isn’t it?”

Crist said he was one of many politicians and sports celebrities who was duped by Rothstein, who gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to them and their charities. The FBI suspects that money was illegally siphoned from investments made by people who thought they were buying legal settlements. Authorities said many of those settlements were fabricated.

The governor also said he has asked Dania Beach City Commissioner Al Jones, whom he appointed Monday to the District 9 Broward County Commission seat, to move into the district.

“I’ve asked him to and he says he will do so soon," Crist said.

In an interview with Putney, Jones confirmed that he plans to move into the district, but wouldn’t specify when that may happen.