Police Captain Accused Of Misspending Department Funds
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade police are investigating one of their own who allegedly misspent money given to him by the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium.
Tyrone White, who was demoted last October from major to captain, has not been formally charged but is under investigation for possible grand theft, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
For years White has run a flag football team which is made up of officers from the department who compete in charity competitions across the state. The department is not officially affiliated with the team.
White reportedly came under investigation last year after the police department sought payment from the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium for providing off duty officers for security services. When the stadium administration checked their books, they found they had written out two checks, totaling nearly $23,000, to "Miami-Dade Police Department Football Coach: Tyrone White" instead of the police department's "Fiscal Administration Bureau."
White's attorney Michael Band said his client didn't realize anything was wrong because earlier in the year he had asked the Dolphins for a charitable donation to help pay for uniforms and travel. When he got the checks, he thought the team had come through.
According to the paper, White deposited the checks into an account he had set up to manage the charity team's finances. He then leased a three-bedroom, two-bath townhouse for the team's stay during the Police Olympics in Port St. Lucie, according to records. Of the $250 security deposit he paid to the townhome's owner, White got it back minus a $120 cleaning fee which he put into his personal banking account, according to investigators.
The paper reports in May, White reportedly pocketed a $300 security deposit from another townhome rental and put the money in his mother's bank account, according to records.
White has denied any wrongdoing and the department has refused to comment on it because it is still an open investigation.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.)
