A Miami-Dade Police officer has been charged with conspiracy and theft of government money for her role in a scheme to receive a fraudulently obtained federal income tax refund, authorities said.
Ebony Nesbitt, 28, had her initial appearance in court Thursday to face the charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
According to an indictment, Nesbitt and her co-conspirators designated Nesbitt’s Higher One, Inc. bank account to receive the direct deposit of the tax refund. The refund was deposited into the account in October 2013, before Nesbitt joined the police department, officials said.
Nesbitt, of North Miami, is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 12. She faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison for the conspiracy and 10 years in prison for the theft.
