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Florida Man Charged with Accepting Bribes
A shocking case of corruption has unfolded in Florida, where an intelligence specialist has been charged with accepting bribes and helping steal drug proceeds.
Jose Emmanuel Torres, 37, of Cooper City, was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Valle in Fort Lauderdale. Torres, who was previously arrested in February 2014, now faces a two-count information charging him with federal bribery and exceeding authorized access to a government computer.
According to the information, Torres worked with agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) collecting intelligence regarding persons involved in terrorism and drug trafficking. However, Torres’s loyalty was compromised when he began accepting bribes from a cooperating individual (CI) who was attempting to gain legal residence status in the United States.
It is alleged that Torres told the CI he had used his influence to have the CI arrested on immigration charges and asked for $10,000 in exchange for his silence. The CI paid Torres $6,000 in November 2013, supposedly to assist with the CI’s immigration proceedings. However, Torres’s actions were far from altruistic, as he continued to use his influence to further his own interests.
Torres also allegedly caused another person to access a government computer and obtain information from the NADDIS database operated by the DEA in order to commit a theft of $500,000 of drug proceeds.
Mr. Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Secret Service for their assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan is prosecuting the case, which is being heard in the Southern District of Florida. Torres faces a statutory maximum term of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or three times the money received if convicted.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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