Supervisors Tipped Off Feds on Crime Stoppers Cop

Aug. 27, 2009— -- Crime Stoppers aims to solve crimes, not become the victim of them.

However, Officer Wayne Fortella of Miami is accused of using the tip program as a piggy bank for friends, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in southern Florida District Court. The complaint accuses Fortella and two associates of scamming the Miami program for more than $14,000.

Fortella, an 11-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, allegedly provided reward claim codes to civilians Kurt Burgess and Ainsworth Stanley. Court documents allege Burgess and Stanley would then redeem the codes' claim rewards for tips they had not actually submitted.

Fortella is not accused in the complaint of pocketing any money himself.

"Any time a law enforcement officer is accused of tarnishing the badge, it is an embarrassment to all the honest, hard-working members of this profession who work day in and day out to protect and serve with integrity," said Miami Police Chief John Timoney in a statement.

The three defendants are accused of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Fortella faces 15 counts, Burgess faces eight counts and Stanley seven.

Fortella and Burgess appeared in court Wednesday, but according to the Department of Justice , Stanley remained at large. If convicted, the men could face as much as 20 years in prison for each count they face.

Both men in custody have filed requests for counsel, but it was unclear whether or not the men have been assigned attorneys.

MDPD officers supervising the Crime Stoppers program tipped off investigators to possible corruption within the unit when they suspected Fortella of abusing his position and manipulating rewards, according to court documents.

The Miami-Dade Police Department declined to comment on the case.

Michael J. Folmar, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami office, said the incident shouldn't undermine the integrity of the program.

"Crime Stoppers is a valuable and essential program that has assisted law enforcement in catching countless criminals," he said. "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."

Cashing In On Tips

Burgess allegedly collected approximately $9,360 in rewards, while Stanley allegedly claimed about $5,300, according to the complaint. Most legitimate tips to the Crime Stoppers hotline result in no more than $1,000 in reward money.

The money, which is provided by the State of Florida Attorney General's Crime Stoppers Trust Fund, can be picked up by tipsters through Wachovia Bank. Because the process is supposed to be confidential, tipsters are told to call back frequently to see if they have been authorized to collect reward money.

Fortella apparently authorized an unusually high number of payouts, according to court documents.

Burgess allegedly collected payments from January 2008 through May 2009, at times collecting four payments in a day, each from a different Wachovia branch. The complaint also says there are phone records indicating that Burgess and Fortella exchanged calls multiple times on pickup days, and authorization forms were faxed to the branches where the pickups allegedly occurred.

A section of the complaint details Stanley's alleged involvement in the scam.

Allegedly, Fortella and his uncle-in-law, Stanley, perpetrated a similar scam from November 2007 through August 2008. The Miami officer is accused of also sending claim codes and tipster names to the men by text message and sending the men detailed information on the tips that had been provided.

Putting a Stop to Corruption

Court documents show that a Southern Florida District Court judge approved a wiretap for Fortella's cell phone in late May 2009, and he was allegedly recorded discussing a change in operations in mid-June. The officer also was recorded discussing plans with Stanley during the phone tap period, the complaint says.

In an interview conducted by the FBI and MDPD officers assigned to the case, which is summarized in the court filing, Fortella claimed that Stanley had turned in tips, but in a similar interview with Stanley, of which Fortella was unaware, Stanley claimed to have never been involved with the program.

"It is vital that we take immediate action to root out anyone who participates in illegal activity," Miami-Dade Police Director Robert Parker said in a statement. "Corruption will simply not be tolerated. Anyone who chooses to engage in activity that undermines the public trust will be investigated and prosecuted."