Former City Of Miami Police Officer Sentenced On Corruption Charges
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A 27-year-old former City of Miami Police Officer has been sentenced to 81 months in prison, three years of supervised release, fined thousands of and dollars and ordered to pay forfeiture on corruption charges.
Vital Fredrick is accused of providing protection and security for an illegal check cashing scheme. He's also blamed with exploiting Police databases to steal identities and sell the identifiers believing they were to be used to commit tax fraud.
Frederick was previously convicted after a five day trial before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.
Fredrick was convicted by the jury on all seven counts in the indictment, including four counts of interference with commerce by extortion, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, "There is no compromise when it comes to corruption. It has to be sought out and defeated. As a sworn police officer, Vital Frederick, pledged to protect the public. Instead, he abused that trust to victimize those he swore to protect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Public Corruption Task Force and this office are committed to rooting out public corruption at all levels. This case is a reminder that no one is above the law."
FBI Public Corruption Task Force and the City of Miami Internal Affairs Section started investigating Frederick after receiving a report of his suspicious activity while one duty.
On four separate occasions Frederick reportedly provided protecting for a courier who he believed was cashing fraudulent government checks at a check cashing store—which he did in full uniform while driving his MPD patrol car. He also reportedly escorted the courier away from the store to ensure a safe passage.
In exchange for the favor, Frederick took receipt of approximately $800 cash.
Frederick, in October 2012, is accused of selling the identities of 52 people to a second cooperating source after accessing the information on MPD's databases.
Frederick, in addition to prison time, was fined $16,806.33 and ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $1,200.