Former Doral Public Service Aide and Two Tow Truck Drivers Arrested for Participating in Bribery Scheme |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Florida
29 January 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A former Doral Police Department Public Service Aide and two tow truck drivers were arrested for participating in a bribery scheme.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Donald W. De Lucca, Chief, Doral Police Department (DPD), made the announcement.
Former DPD Pubic Service Aide (PSA) Leonardo Mayi, 36, and two tow truck operators Andreo Cambria, 51, and Roberto Dominguez, 31, were arrested pursuant to a federal criminal complaint charging each defendant with conspiracy and corruption charges related to their participation in a pirate towing scheme.
According to the allegations contained in court filings, Cambria offered to pay PSA Mayi cash in return for Mayi misusing his official position to corruptly steer business to Cambria and Dominguez. During the course of the corruption scheme, Mayi would permit Cambria and Dominguez to circumvent Doral’s rotational wrecker system and approach stranded drivers at accident scenes to illegally solicit their business. When Cambria or Dominguez was successful, they would tow the disabled vehicles to garages which would, in turn, pay cash kickbacks to Cambria and Dominguez. For his part, Mayi was paid approximately $100 per successfully towed vehicle. As a result of their participation in the scheme, between February 2013 and February 2014, the conspirators generated thousands of dollars of illicit business and Mayi himself received at least $5,000 in bribes.
PSA Mayi submitted his resignation with the Doral Police Department. Before resigning, Mayi had been with the department since 2008.
Each of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, that is, engaging in a wire fraud scheme resulting in the deprivation of Mayi’s honest services and accepting bribes in connection with Mayi’s duties with the DPD, an agency that receives federal funding, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Each defendant is exposed to a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI Miami Area Public Corruption Task Force and the Doral Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Lacosta.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.