Jerry Sutherland Pleads Guilty to Hobbs Act Extortion, Miami FL, 2023

MIAMI – Jerry Sutherland, a former officer with the Miami Police Department (MPD), has entered a guilty plea on two counts of Hobbs Act extortion.

Sutherland, 28, of Miami-Dade County, Florida, admitted to demanding free services and receiving $3,400 in bribes from a local vendor. He threatened to shut down an adjacent illegal gambling operation unless his demands were met. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and the FBI Miami Field Office led the investigation.

In early 2014, Sutherland was an MPD officer when he wrongfully suspected the vendor of running an illegal gambling business. He demanded additional services, claiming to have inside information on MPD’s surveillance plans if the demands were not met. Several recordings captured him accepting payments while in uniform.

The bribes included promises to protect a Miami-Dade County gambling operation that communicated with a Las Vegas establishment, arrange for the dismissal of a criminal case against an employee, increase police visibility at a rival location, and provide a fictional case card to falsely report a robbery. Sutherland is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2015.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney, commended the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force and MPD’s Internal Affairs Section for their work. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry C. Wallace, Jr. For more information, visit the District Court for the Southern District of Florida or PACER.