Scores of deputies, corrections officers and more are expected to face charges
Seventeen Broward County, Fla., sheriff’s deputies were charged Thursday with $500,000 in COVID-19 pandemic fraud. Sheriff Gregory Tony said he went to federal authorities when he discovered about 100 sheriff’s department employees had applied for pandemic business relief. Photo courtesy of Florida Sheriff’s Assoication
Seventeen Broward County Sheriff’s deputies were charged Thursday in South Florida for allegedly defrauding federal government pandemic relief programs of approximately $500,000.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced the charges during a press conference at the Broward County Sheriff’s Department. Advertisement
Lapointe said his office doesn’t have evidence that the alleged crimes were an organized conspiracy coordinated by multiple people. Rather, he said, it appears that deputies were acting as individuals. Lapointe said the investigation is ongoing.
The charged deputies were suspended.
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said during the Thursday afternoon news conference that his office cooperated with federal authorities and he asked them to look into about 100 sheriff’s department employees who had applied for funds from the federal PPP COVID-19 relief program. He said he will not tolerate corruption.
To employees of Broward County, he said, “We have worked too hard to allow us to become sloppy and to have one or two individuals tarnish our reputation. If you see something, I expect you to say something.”
Dozens of Broward County Florida sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers Thursday turned themselves in on criminal charges of defrauding the federal government pandemic loan program. Advertisement
At least 44 sheriff’s employees, 33 corrections officers and 11 deputies are expected to face charges in the fraud case.
The sheriff’s office was closed early Thursday because so many deputies were taken into custody.
The pandemic loan programs under the CARES Act was a COVID-19 pandemic support effort for businesses trying to meet payroll during the pandemic.
The seventeen sheriff’s department employees made court appearances in Fort Lauderdale Thursday.
