Sixteen Miami police department employees and tow truck operators were charged in federal court after an FBI investigation found that public service aides accepted more than $55,000 in combined bribes between 2011 and 2014 to share accident scene information with tow operators, enabling them to arrive before dispatch and illegally solicit stranded victims, according to the DOJ Southern District of Florida. Six defendants were sentenced in the corruption and kickback case.
Operator takeaway
Sixteen people charged in one towing corruption case — the FBI does not limit investigations to one or two bad actors. When corruption is systemic, everyone in the chain faces federal charges.