Miami-Dade Cops Face Perjury Charges

Ex-con found with gun gets off, officers accused of lying under oath

Three Miami-Dade officers watched a gun-toting ex-con who they busted get off scot free, and now the officers are facing prosecution themselves for lying under oath while testifying in his case.

Patrolmen Al Dodge and Jorge Gonzalez and supervisor Waell Farraj are expected to be charged today with lying in federal court over the traffic stop weapon arrest of ex-con Pedro L. Marte, according to the Miami Herald.

The patrolmen busted Marte last July after getting a tip that he had a gun hidden in his car. While tailing Marte, the cops saw him run a red light, so they swooped in. Sure enough, the loaded gun was where the tipster said it would be.

But Marte, who has been convicted for cocaine trafficking twice, according to the Herald, beat the rap after his lawyer argued that he hadn't been read his Miranda rights.

If the dropped charges weren't enough insult to the officers, injury came when their court testimony was referred to prosecutors.

The prosecutors discovered that Dodge, Gonzalez and Farraj didn't disclose that they'd received the informant's tip. The three were indicted and charged with committing perjury and obstruction of justice.

"It's an outrage," Gonzalez's attorney, Douglas Hartman, told the Herald. "He had a gun, he admitted he had a gun and [the feds] let him go."

U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sloman said the charges against the officers shouldn't be taken lightly.

“Law enforcement officers, like any other witnesses, are sworn to tell the truth. When any witness lies under oath or conspires to obstruct justice, our system of justice is undermined," Sloman said, in a written statement. "The damage is twofold when it is a police officer who lies or obstructs justice:  it not only weakens the public’s faith in our legal system, but also shakes the public’s confidence in police officers who are sworn to uphold the laws."

Marte may have beaten that gun charge, but a week later he was busted again on weapons charges. That case is still pending.

Farraj's lawyer called Marte a "one-man crime wave, a scourge of the community who was riding around with a loaded weapon."

Gonzalez is facing a max of 30 years behind bars, Farraj 25 years and Dodge 20 years.

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