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Public Affairs Office:

Alicia Valle
Special Counsel to the U.S.
Attorney
(305) 961-9153

Public Affairs Fax
(305) 530-7055

Press Release

CITY OF MIAMI POLICE OFFICER AND TWO OTHERS
CHARGED IN CRIME STOPPERS SCAM

August 26, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for
the Southern District of Florida, Michael J. Folmar, Acting Special Agent in
Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, and Robert Parker,
Director, Miami Dade Police Department, announced that City of Miami Police
Officer Wayne Fortella and two civilian associates,
Kurt Burgess and Ainsworth Stanley, were
charged in a Criminal Complaint with wire fraud and conspiring to commit wire
fraud by scheming to collect Crime Stoppers rewards to which they were not
entitled, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and
1349. Fortella and Burgess made their initial appearances in federal court today
before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick A. White, and were released on bond.
Defendant Stanley remains at large.

Today’s charges arose from a long-term investigation
jointly conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Miami-Dade Police
Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the cooperation and
assistance of the City of Miami Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit.
According to the Complaint, Fortella, an 11-year veteran of the Miami Police
Department, was assigned as a detective at the Miami-Dade Police Department’s
Crime Stoppers Unit. In this capacity, Fortella was responsible for taking
anonymous tips from citizens regarding crimes that had occurred within
Miami-Dade County. Fortella, Burgess, and Stanley allegedly took advantage of
Fortella’s position to implement a scheme to fraudulently obtain Crime Stoppers
reward payments that had not yet been collected by the actual tipsters.

According to the allegations in the Complaint,
Fortella used his position at the Crime Stoppers Unit to identify tips that had
been authorized for payment but which had not yet been collected by the
tipsters, and to learn the substance of the information provided in those tips.
Fortella also obtained the unique codes needed to collect these rewards, and
then passed this reward collection information to Burgess and Stanley.
Thereafter, Burgess and Stanley would use this tip information to fraudulently
collect the rewards. In this way, Burgess is alleged to have collected numerous
reward payments totaling more than $9000, and Stanley is alleged to have
collected reward payments totaling more than $5000.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman stated,
“Corruption by public officials, no matter at what level of government,
undermines the public’s trust in our public servants. The U.S. Attorney’s Office
is committed to helping to restore that trust and to maintain untarnished the
good name of the many honest public servants who work and risk their lives each
day to help make our communities a better place. ”

Michael J. Folmar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of
the FBI’s Miami Office, added, “Crime Stoppers is a valuable and essential
program that has assisted law enforcement in catching countless criminals. It is
unfortunate that one police officer chose to take advantage of the anonymity
that this program offers for personal gain. Nonetheless, the success of Crime
Stoppers surpasses the acts of one police officer. Public corruption is a top
priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners, and we will continue to
investigate corruption at all levels.”

Director Robert Parker of the Miami-Dade Police
Department stated, “It is vital that we take immediate action to root out anyone
who participates in illegal activity. Corruption will simply not be tolerated.
Anyone who chooses to engage in activity that undermines the public trust will
be investigated and prosecuted. The Miami-Dade Police Department stands ready to
fully engage with our law enforcement partners to address any allegation of
corruption and misconduct.”

If convicted, all three defendants face a maximum
statutory penalty of up to twenty (20) years in prison on each count charged in
the Complaint. A complaint is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. A
defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the
government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Mr. Sloman commended the efforts of the numerous
detectives of the Miami-Dade Police Department and special agents of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation who have been working on this investigation. Mr. Sloman
also thanked the City of Miami Police Department for their assistance during
this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Edward N. Stamm and Karen E. Gilbert.

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 http://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 http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov/.

Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed
to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE:
The United States Attorney's Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries
made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may
contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the
United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street,
Miami, Fl. 33132.

Department of Justice

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