Judge Okays Release Of ICE Agent Charged With Bribery, Extortion

December 23, 2013 6:11 PM

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A federal judge has ruled that a veteran U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent facing multiple charges that range from bribery to extortion can be released from federal detention while he awaits trial.

In an afternoon hearing, Federal Judge William Turnoff agreed to the release of Juan Martinez after his defense attorney showed that money which would be put up to meet his $250 thousand bond came from legal sources.
Martinez, a Special Agent with ICE, is charged with; 8 counts of extortion, 2 counts of bribery and 2 counts of false writing.

When he is released, Martinez will be outfitted with an ankle monitor to help enforce his 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew.  He will have to surrender his weapons and passport.  He was also warned not to go anywhere near a train station or airport.

“If you sneeze wrong, I will revoke your bond,” said Judge Turnoff.
“Yes, sir,” replied Martinez.
In Martinez’s Kings Bay neighborhood, Teny Sharoff told CBS4’s Gary Nelson that she’s known Martinez for “many years” and described him as “a fine man” who has done many good things for her and others.
“He is innocent of these charges,” said Sharoff. “He is not guilty.”
According to prosecutors, federal investigators were led to Martinez in 2011 while following a money trail from a Colombian company.
Investigators reportedly tracked a man with $110,000 dollars cash to Bayside where they said that he gave that money to Martinez. As investigators looked into Martinez’s actions, they allegedly found more illegal activity.
Martinez, 47, is accused of extorting money from Colombian Company 1, a commercial and residential company located in Pereira, Columbia.
Martinez allegedly took bribes to bring people into the country by falsely claiming they were witnesses in drug cases. He’s also accused of taking liquor, airline tickets, a diamond ring and watch from individuals telling them that they could avoid prosecution.
The object of the conspiracy, per the indictment, was, “for Martinez and his con-conspirators to unlawfully enrich themselves by using Martinez’s official position to obtain large payments from Colombian Company 1,” along with other company individuals.

Martinez allegedly told the company, along with certain individuals associated with it, that is was about to be put on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list by Office of Foreign Asset Control, a Treasury Department list that freezes assets and prohibits any dealings with U.S. entities.
Martinez allegedly offered to keep them off the SDN list if they made large payments to Martinez and others.
Silvia Pinera-Vazquez, Martinez’s attorney, said that her client is innocent.
“We disagree with the government 100-percent. Agent Martinez has been a law enforcement agent for over 20 years. He has dutifully served his country. He denies every single paragraph of that indictment and is looking forward to a trial where is innocence will be proven,” said Pinera-Vazquez.
A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following statement: “ICE takes accusations of misconduct very seriously. As the matter is currently under investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on this specific case. As public servants working for a law enforcement agency, every employee at ICE is held to the highest standard of professional and ethical conduct.”

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/12/23/court-hearing-for-ice-agent-charged-with-bribery-extortion/

Two Fort Lauderdale Cops Arrested On Multiple Charges

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has scheduled a news conference for 11:00 a.m. following the surrender and arrest of two of its police officers.

Detectives Brian Dodge and Billy Koepke are charged with multiple counts including racketeering, kidnapping, extortion, perjury, grand theft, making threats, and false arrest. Both men turned themselves in at the Broward Main Jail Thursday night and appeared in bond court Friday morning.

Bond was set for both men. The two officers are eligible for pre-trial release and will be under house arrest with GPS monitors once they make bond, according to the Sun Sentinel. The judge also ordered both men to give up their passports and have no contact with each other or potential witnesses in the case.

Dodge and Koepke, both members of a Street Crimes Unit formerly known as the Raiders, have been under investigation for months for allegedly robbing drug dealers of cash and contraband and kidnapping them at gunpoint to participate in drug operations, according to the South Florida Times.

Both officers have been on paid suspension from their jobs since April 18, police officials said.

The detectives came under scrutiny over a suspicious drug arrest at a Red Roof Inn, located at 4800 N. Powerline Road in Oakland Park. The men made two arrests at the motel but hotel security video contradicts their version of the arrests, states the Sentinel.



Michael Florenco



A police corruption task force, made up of Fort Lauderdale officers and FBI agents, turned up evidence that Koepke and Dodge claimed they found crack cocaine on a man who had none and stole several thousand dollars that should have been turned over as evidence, sources said.



Matthew Moceri



Two other officers, Matthew Moceri and Michael Florenco, have been suspended in the same investigation but have not been criminally charged.

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