Former Miami-Dade Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting in Ecstasy Undercover Investigation

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that defendant Jorge Delgado pled guilty today to aiding and abetting an attempt to possess ecstasy with the intent to distribute. During the time at issue, Delgado was a Miami-Dade Police Officer assigned to uniformed road patrol. Sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck, in Miami, Florida. Delgado faces a possible maximum sentence of twenty (20) years in prison.

This charge arose from an undercover investigation jointly conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the cooperation and assistance of the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s (MDPD) Professional Compliance Bureau.

According to the one-count felony Information and statements made in court during the guilty plea, during the course of this investigation, Delgado, a three-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, used his marked police car to protect the delivery of what was represented to be a shipment of ecstasy. In reality, the purported drug delivery was a staged operation carried out by law enforcement as part of the investigation. Delgado was to be paid $2500 in cash for his criminal services.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sloman stated, “This officer abused his badge to help protect a shipment of purported Ecstasy. He was caught and will be punished. However, his actions are not representative of the majority of the honest and hard-working men and women in public service, who risk their lives daily to protect our communities.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan I. Solomon stated, “Police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our community. On occasion, there are individuals who betray the public’s trust and, in those instances, they will be held accountable.”

Miami Dade Police Director Robert Parker added, “This type of behavior erodes the public trust and violates the very oath that law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold. When criminals are arrested, they are quick to give up their associates, especially any corrupt law enforcement officers, to lessen their own sentences. The officer is inevitably arrested, convicted, and faces repercussions that last a lifetime. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local officials to root-out all types of criminal behavior.”

Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the Special Agents of the FBI and the officers of the MDPD Professional Compliance Bureau who have been working on this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Edward N. Stamm.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.