MIAMI (AP) — A former bank branch manager and two men with ties to a Miami-Dade County comissioner are accused of stealing $640,000 from the county, officials said.
They used their positions to apply for county grant money by using names of social service organizations, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said during a news conference on Monday afternoon.
“With these arrests we are alleging that these three individuals appear to have fallen prey to a temptation to steal Miami-Dade County money and property,” Rundle said. “It’s disappointing to see that there are still individuals who think that they can get away with stealing from the public.”
One of the men had served as chief of staff for Commissioner Jean Monestime, another was an aide to the commissioner and the third person was a manager at a Hollywood bank. Charges against them include racketeering, organized fraud, grand theft, and unlawfully filing a false document.
“These individuals leveraged a position of trust and position of authority to steal the public’s money,” said Miami-Dade Inspector General Felix Jimenez.
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Rundle said there is no evidence that the commissioner knew about the scheme.
The two county employees defruaded the system for more than five years, applying for grants for cultural affairs, kids and seniors, Rundle said.
They received money through corporations and at least one foundation they set up for that purpose, their arrest reports said.
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