Ex-Hialeah police chief bonds out, tells judge not guilty in public corruption caper
A tentative date was set for the public corruption trial of a former Hialeah police chief accused of abusing his position to steal hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars and confiscated drug money.
Sergio Velazquez, whose nine-year term atop the city's police department was marred by a highly publicized sex scandal, was taken into custody by law enforcement just after driving away from his home Monday. He was charged with money laundering, grand theft and organized fraud.
READ MORE: Ex-Hialeah police chief busted for stealing almost $600k from city coffers, state says
The scheme, investigators said, involved the former chief depositing dozens of checks for just under $10,000 that were ordered from the city's finance department, into personal accounts controlled by him. They say he used the money to pay off credit card debt and purchase high-end Rolex watches and goods from Gucci and Versace.
Velazquez, 61, wearing a red jail outfit and handcuffed, briefly appeared on Zoom before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer Tuesday morning and was released on a $30,000 bond that was posted by his wife. In an unusual move, he was quickly arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
'We enter a plea of not guilty on all three counts,' Velazquez's attorney Richard Diaz said during the hearing.
Tentative trial date
The plea was formalized before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James on Wednesday morning and the judge set a tentative trial date of Sept. 8. State prosecutors usually take close to the three-week window permitted before filing formal charges and hearing a defendant's plea.
Investigators say the thefts charged against Velazquez took place between May and November 2021 and totaled about $600,00. In total, close to $3.2 million in city money dating back to 2015 hasn't been accounted for and that additional charges could follow, the investigators said.
The missing money controlled by Velazquez was supposed to go toward undercover narcotics operations. Investigators say it's a combination of money budgeted to the police department for special operations — which comes from the city's general fund — and money awarded to the city through a court order that was confiscated mostly during drug stings.
Probe began shortly after 2021 dismissal
Velazquez, who became chief in 2012, was relieved of duty by the city's new Mayor Esteban Bovo shortly after his November 2021 election victory. He was replaced by deputy chief George Fuente, whom investigators credited with helping FDLE and state prosecutors put the case together.
His term as chief of Miami-Dade's second-largest city was marred by charges levied against Sgt. Jesus Menocal Jr., who eventually pleaded guilty and served a three-year sentence for using his badge to force women into having sex with him.
Velazquez was heavily criticized for being too lenient with Menocal Jr. in that case and in one years earlier in which four women — one underage — accused Menocal Jr. of sexual assault.
Velazquez rose through the ranks despite a slew of allegations against him that were never substantiated. FDLE once spent 18 months looking into what they called 'a pattern of criminal misconduct.' One of the cases involved the torching of a truck owned by a man who's ex-girlfriend had been dating Velazquez.
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