September 24, 2015

Former Miami Springs Police Department Sergeant Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison

Former Miami Springs Police Department (MSPD) Sergeant Andres Quintanilla was sentenced today to nine years in prison by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Michael K. Moore.   Quintanilla had previously pleaded guilty to receiving bribes from an undercover FBI confidential source, who Quintanilla believed was a narcotics trafficker.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement. 

Andres Quintanilla, 34, had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to affect commerce by extortion under color of official right, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a).  Quintanilla was sentenced to 108 months in prison, to be followed by a year of supervised release.  He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and to forfeit an additional $3,700 that had been paid to him by the confidential source.

According to court documents, in October 2014, a FBI confidential source (CS) informed Quintanilla that he (the CS) was a drug trafficker.  Rather than arrest the CS, or open an investigation, Quintanilla offered to help the CS’s drug trafficking business.  During a series of recorded meetings, Quintanilla offered advice on how the CS should run his drug trafficking business, provided the location of an unmarked Miami-Dade Police Department narcotics office, provided the names of three Miami-Dade Police Department officers, and promised to provide photographs of officers in the future. In addition, Quintanilla ran the name of a purported drug dealer in a law enforcement database when asked to do so by CS.

By December 2014, Quintanilla had agreed to act as an escort during a purported 10 kilogram cocaine deal.  Under FBI direction, the CS told Quintanilla that the CS needed a safe location in Miami Springs where the CS could exchange 10 kilograms of cocaine for $250,000.  Quintanilla chose a location for the transaction to take place and, on the date of the transaction, the FBI filmed and recorded Quintanilla meeting with the CS and viewing the cocaine.   After the purported deal took place with second undercover CS acting as a drug dealer, Quintanilla then followed the CS’s vehicle to an express package service center, where Quintanilla believed that the CS would ship the $250,000 of drug proceeds to New York.  Quintanilla participated in the transaction in uniform, while driving his MSPD marked vehicle.  In exchange for his assistance, Quintanilla accepted $3,500 in bribe payments.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Lacosta. 

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 District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.