Miami-Dade court clerk employee accused of stealing money while on the job
MIAMI -- A longtime Miami-Dade clerk of courts employee has been charged after being accused of stealing money from people paying court fines, officials said Friday.
Scott Kessler, 57, who has worked for the Miami-Dade court clerk's office for 11 years, was employed at the North Dade Justice Center, according to a written statement by State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
He has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit organized scheme to defraud, official misconduct and grand theft, all third-degree felony charges, according to the statement. It was not immediately clear if bond has been set in the case.
"When government employees steal, they not only seize the public's money, but they squander the public's trust in their local government," Rundle said. "Such actions betray our community and can never be accepted or tolerated."
The stolen money that officials say Kessler took was between $4,000 to $5,000.
Authorities said Kessler's job duties included helping offenders paying their traffic fines or other court required payments.
He was also tasked with helping to set up payment plans for people who owed money to the court, according to the statement.
Law enforcement authorities said they uncovered the scheme after five people who had paid cash to satisfy their traffic fines began receiving notices that they had not completed their payment plan.
The complaints led to an undercover sting by police who submitted marked cash payments to Kessler, who was later arrested and found with the marked bills.
"I am always saddened to hear when anyone violates their position of trust and authority," said Luis G. Montaldo, interim chief court clerk. "That is why, when I first learned of the theft, I instructed Clerk staff to contact and cooperate with the State Attorney's Office and Miami-Dade Police Department's investigation."
