Miami police officer Mario Figueroa has been suspended with pay after a video of him kicking the head of a suspect who was on the ground in handcuffs went viral.
Figueroa was suspended by Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, who said that the circulating video “depicts a clear violation of policy.” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has also launched an investigation that could potentially lead to Figueroa’s prosecution.
Andre Leite of Coconut Creek, Florida was arrested last month for allegedly defrauding the city of Deerfield Beach of $300,000 by wrongfully representing himself as a licensed plumber. Leite, 50, was charged with fraud, money laundering, grand theft, forgery, and working as an unlicensed contractor.
According to the arrest report, Leite, who owns Andre Plumbing, was hired to fix toilets and sinks at city facilities from 2012 to 2016. He reportedly applied to become the city’s plumber by submitting the certificate and license number of Glaydson Machado Silva, the owner of GMS Plumbing in Fort Lauderdale.
Officer Zachary Immler of Boca Raton, Florida was arrested on December 5 for his involvement in a grand theft investigation that began in October.
Immler, 31, faces grand theft charges and was booked into jail. He was later released on his own recognizance. The press did not say if he has hired an attorney.
Tammy Lynn Hopkins Lysak of Deerfield Beach, Florida was arrested on September 27 for allegedly stealing more than $400,000 from her employer over a period of two years.
Lysak, 52, faces charges for criminal use of personal identification information, grand theft, and organized fraud. Court records show she has also violated the terms of her probation for a 2008 grand theft conviction in Palm Beach County. The press did not name an attorney for Lysak.
Looters have reportedly been breaking into empty homes and businesses around Florida despite stern warnings from authorities. Some have been caught on camera.
ABC News caught footage of a group looting a shoe store in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. The footage shows looters leaving Simon’s Sportswear with boxes of shoes. The perpetrators went on to rob a nearby pawn shop, sources say.
The suspects, six adults and three teens, were arrested by Fort Lauderdale Police hours later. The adults were identified as Rossano Henry Jr., Tyrell Pratt, Teonhki Robinson, Kenneth Pinkney, Michael Brown, and Zara Dumornay. All the suspects are charged with burglary during a natural disaster.
Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog