Press Release
TWO CITY OF MIAMI POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED IN UNDERCOVER CORRUPTION PROBE
May 30, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Miami Police Officers Geovani Nunez and Jorge Hernandez were charged in a complaint filed today with extortion and narcotics charges, announced R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, and John Timoney, Chief of the City of Miami Police Department. Specifically, the complaint charges the defendants with conspiring and attempting to commit extortion under color of official right by accepting bribes to protect and facilitate what was represented to be a wide range of criminal activities, including escorting the transportation in interstate commerce of property represented to be stolen, such as stolen televisions and stolen computers, and escorting the transportation of various loads of cocaine, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951. The defendants were also charged with conspiring and attempting to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846, for their roles in protecting the purported cocaine shipments.
The charges against these two City of Miami Police Officers arose from an eight-month undercover investigation jointly conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The City of Miami Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit fully cooperated and assisted in this investigation and we thank them.
According to the complaint, Nunez, a 13-year veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, and Hernandez, also a 13-year veteran of the Department, provided a variety of illegal services to an individual who represented himself as being involved in a number of criminal activities for which he was looking to recruit police officers to protect and facilitate his illegal operations. In reality, however, the individual was a cooperating witness (CW), working with FBI undercover agents, and the purported criminal activities were all staged operations done as part of the investigation.
In exchange for cash payments, the defendants were involved in the following criminal activities:
• Nunez conducted an illegal records check of an individual who purportedly owed a debt to the CW, and provided the CW with the address and date of birth of the debtor so he could be located. For this service, he received $500 in cash.
• Nunez, driving his marked police car, protected a truck purportedly carrying stolen televisions as it drove through North Miami to I-95. For this service, he received $1,000 in cash. •Nunez, driving his marked police car, protected a truck purportedly carrying stolen computers through portions of I-95. For this service, he received $1,500 in cash.
• Nunez, driving his marked police car, protected a truck allegedly carrying two kilos of cocaine to its destination. He received $3,000 for the escort service.
• Nunez, driving his marked police car, protected a truck allegedly carrying four kilos of cocaine to its destination. He received $6,000 for the escort service.
• Nunez and Hernandez, each driving his respective City of Miami police car, escorted a truck purportedly carrying stolen computers through portions of I-95. Nunez received $4,000 and Hernandez received $2,000, respectively, for their escort services.
• Nunez and Hernandez, each driving his respective City of Miami police car, escorted a ruck purportedly carrying stolen unspecified merchandise though portions of I-95. Nunez received $3,000 and Hernandez received $2,000, respectively, for their escort services.
• Nunez and Hernandez, each driving his respective City of Miami police car, protected a truck purportedly carrying six kilograms of cocaine through parts of U.S. 441. Each defendant received $6,000 for his escort service.
The defendants would be paid in cash at the conclusion of each criminal episode in which they participated, and as a result of their criminal activities, they received the following approximate total amounts: Nunez - $28,000; Hernandez - $11,5000. All meetings were video and audio recorded.
All defendants face maximum sentences of life in prison and fines of up to $4,000,000 if convicted of the drug trafficking charges. In addition, they face up to 20 years in prison for each alleged violation of the Hobbs Act by extortion under color of official right.
U. S. Attorney Alex Acosta stated, “In a year when so many brave officers gave their lives in the performance of their duty, it is sad to see a handful of individuals repay their colleagues' sacrifice through criminal conduct. I want to thank the many South Florida law enforcement officers, who each day work hard and risk their lives to protect our community, and I want to remind our community that the actions of a few do not diminish the dedication and honor of the rest.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Solomon stated, “Corruption within law enforcement is a very serious matter. In partnership with the City of Miami Police Department, last night our agents arrested two police officers who violated the trust that the citizens of the City of Miami bestowed upon them.”
Chief John Timoney, of the City of Miami Police Department, stated, “These officers sold their badges and their loyalty to the highest bidder, disgracing themselves in the process. However, their actions do not negate the tremendous police work done day in and day out by the men and women of the Miami Police Department. The Miami Police Department will be a better organization without them.”
Mr. Acosta commended the efforts of the numerous special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the officers and detectives of the Miami Police Department Internal Affairs Unit who worked on this investigation. In addition, Mr. Acosta thanked City of Miami Police Chief John Timoney for his cooperation during this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Edward N. Stamm.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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