Fort Lauderdale Police Officer James McDowell Charged With Grand Theft, Scheme To Defraud
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Fort Lauderdale Police Department announced the arrest of one of their own on Thursday morning.
Authorities said that following an investigation by Fort Lauderdale's Public Corruption Unit, the Broward County State Attorney's Office filed formal charges against officer James McDowell.
He faces three counts of grand theft and one count of organized scheme to defraud. McDowell turned himself in to the Broward County Main Jail, Thursday, January 13th.
Detectives said the investigation has revealed several instances where McDowell signed on to work off-duty details while still working his regularly scheduled shift at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, resulting in several hundred fraudulently billed hours and the loss of thousands of dollars.
McDowell has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of criminal prosecution being handled by the Broward County State Attorney's Office.