A Miami Beach parking enforcement officer has been arrested and accused of extortion, police said.
Dante Zirio, 57. is facing extortion and bribery charges following his arrest on Saturday, court documents showed.
Police say Miami Beach's Parking Director received a tip about Zirio's alleged illegal activities.
After an Internal Affairs investigation, authorities say Zirio was arrested and charged with two counts of unlawful compensation, two counts of bribery and two counts of extortion.
According to an arrest affidavit, the owner of a valet company said he was approached on numerous occasions by Zirio, who demanded $1,000 a month in exchange for not enforcing parking violations.
Zirio was later caught on camera accepting $750 from the victim in exchange for not issuing parking citations, the report said.
Zirio admitted to demanding the $750, and said he demanded $400 from a nightclub owner for not issuing parking citations, the report said.
Local
Police arrested Zirio and he was booked into jail and later released on bond. Attorney information wasn't available.
“We will not tolerate any act of bribery or pubic corruption in the City of Miami Beach. It is a sad day when a public official engages in such behavior, but thanks to the swift action of all involved, we were able to identify and arrest the perpetrator quickly," Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales said in a statement. "Although we believe this parking attendant acted alone, I have directed our police department to launch an internal investigation.”
