Three Broward Sheriff's deputies were arrested Wednesday on charges related to working an unauthorized detail at a Pompano Beach gentleman's club, officials said.
Deputies Reginald Arteta, 29, Alberto Ferreras, 31, and Troy Wilkins, 49, turned themselves in to face charges of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior and official misconduct, BSO officials said.
Ferreras and Wilkins are also charged with tampering with a witness and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Arteta was being held on $4,500 bond Wednesday while Wilkins and Ferreras were being held on $13,000 bond, jail records showed. It was unknown if they have attorneys.
All three were suspended without pay while their internal affairs cases remain open, officials said.
"I have said before that no one is above the law, and there are consequences when deputies cross the line. These arrests show BSO is committed to holding employees to the highest standards and proactively addressing misconduct whenever it is discovered," Sheriff Scott Israel said in a statement.
One of the deputies, Wilkins, used to be Israel's driver.
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"I'll continue to love him and pray for him and his family. But I can't stand here and look at you and say it doesn't hurt me," Israel said.
Officials said the BSO was contacted by the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco in August 2014 to report that the deputies were working a detail at the Pink Pony Pompano.
An undercover operation revealed that the deputies were allowing the club to stay open longer than its license permitted, receiving cash for providing security and receiving an increased cash payment when the club stayed open past 2 a.m., officials said.
Ferreras and Wilkins told witnesses they were being investigated and that the witnesses should only admit to investigators that they were at the club but never received compensation, the BSO said.
"We are held to a higher standard and we should be held to a higher standard," Israel said.
