Julio Ruiz, Bribery, Florida 2015

A former uniformed police officer with the City of Miami Police Department has been exposed for taking bribes. Julio Ruiz, a former officer, pled guilty to accepting bribes on three occasions between April 26 and June 12, 2013.

According to the court record, Ruiz accepted bribes from an FBI confidential source in exchange for access to and information regarding traffic accidents within the City of Miami Police Department. The defendant also inaccurately reported the disposition of towed vehicles in police reports.

Ruiz pleaded guilty to violating three counts of the Hobbs Act, which affects commerce by extortion under color of official right, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a).

The defendant’s sentencing is scheduled to take place on December 22, 2015, before U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. Each of the three counts to which Ruiz has pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.

The Court may order any sentence of imprisonment awarded under one count to be served concurrently or consecutively to a sentence imposed on a different count. In exchange for the bribes, Ruiz received $1,800 cash and a cellular telephone.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, commended the investigative efforts of the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force and the City of Miami Police Department Internal Affairs Division. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Lacosta.

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.

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