A former Hialeah police officer who shared confidential information from a law enforcement database was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday.
Raul Castellon, 38, previously pled guilty to corruption, access device fraud and identity theft charges. The Hialeah Police Department terminated his employment as a result of the sentence. He had been placed on leave without pay “pending his imminent termination.”
Officials said in March that Castellon had access to Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database, which provides officers with driver and motor vehicle information, license numbers, social security numbers and dates of birth.
Between June 1 and Oct. 19, 2016, Castellon sent 25 screen shots containing personal information of unsuspecting victims to Neilin Gonzalez-Diaz, who pled guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to more than six years in prison. Castellon received gifts in exchange for the information.
Gonzalez-Diaz, who has a lengthy criminal history, according to court records, used the information to assume different identities to make purchases from retail stores throughout Florida.
The incident was the latest in a pattern of disciplinary issues on Castellon’s record, officials said. He had been fired in 2012 for disobeying rules with regard to use of his police cruiser before receiving his job back through arbitration.
Castellon had also been cited for 13 violations of Hialeah Police rules, regulations and policies.
