02-08-2009, 04:17 AM
Prosecutors say 6 deputies accused of overtime fraud will face additional charges
Six accused of overtime fraud; all are on leave
By Brian Haas
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
February 7, 2009
Prosecutors said Friday they will level more charges at six deputies accused of overtime fraud at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Sgts. Faulton Kemph, John McCaffrey, Kathy Dent and Edy Velasquez, as well as Lts. George Behar and Sandra Nealy, all are charged with official misconduct, making false official statements and organized scheme to defraud in a case prosecutors say cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime they wouldn't have normally spent.
Assistant State Attorney Paul Zacks said there's more to come.
"We're looking at it, and there will be multiple additional counts on each defendant," Zacks said after a short hearing Friday.
The six were accused in May of rigging the Sheriff's Office's overtime assignments over a four-year period. Prosecutors say they assigned themselves lucrative overtime shifts guarding hospitalized inmates before the shifts were made available to rank-and-file deputies. Had regular deputies been assigned those shifts, it would have cost taxpayers about $300,000 less in the first year alone, authorities said.
None of the six was at Friday's hearing, where defense attorneys and Zacks discussed what could be a complex criminal trial. Prosecutors said they plan to call at least 232 witnesses against the six and had only finished taking depositions from 16 of them as of Friday.
"It was an extensive investigation, so there are a lot of witness statements," Zacks said.
Defense attorneys for the deputies declined to comment.
The deputies are all on administrative leave without pay, said Sgt. Pete Palenzuela, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. Another lieutenant, Darrin McCray, 41, was convicted of similar charges in November and is expected to be sentenced on Monday.
Circuit Judge Amy Smith scheduled the first trial date for June 26 but said that could be postponed.
Six accused of overtime fraud; all are on leave
By Brian Haas
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
February 7, 2009
Prosecutors said Friday they will level more charges at six deputies accused of overtime fraud at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Sgts. Faulton Kemph, John McCaffrey, Kathy Dent and Edy Velasquez, as well as Lts. George Behar and Sandra Nealy, all are charged with official misconduct, making false official statements and organized scheme to defraud in a case prosecutors say cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime they wouldn't have normally spent.
Assistant State Attorney Paul Zacks said there's more to come.
"We're looking at it, and there will be multiple additional counts on each defendant," Zacks said after a short hearing Friday.
The six were accused in May of rigging the Sheriff's Office's overtime assignments over a four-year period. Prosecutors say they assigned themselves lucrative overtime shifts guarding hospitalized inmates before the shifts were made available to rank-and-file deputies. Had regular deputies been assigned those shifts, it would have cost taxpayers about $300,000 less in the first year alone, authorities said.
None of the six was at Friday's hearing, where defense attorneys and Zacks discussed what could be a complex criminal trial. Prosecutors said they plan to call at least 232 witnesses against the six and had only finished taking depositions from 16 of them as of Friday.
"It was an extensive investigation, so there are a lot of witness statements," Zacks said.
Defense attorneys for the deputies declined to comment.
The deputies are all on administrative leave without pay, said Sgt. Pete Palenzuela, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. Another lieutenant, Darrin McCray, 41, was convicted of similar charges in November and is expected to be sentenced on Monday.
Circuit Judge Amy Smith scheduled the first trial date for June 26 but said that could be postponed.