One of the restaurant owners targeted in bribery schemes allegedly involving Miami-Dade County inspectors is speaking out as the two suspects appeared before a judge.
At least 15 restaurants were targeted in the scheme in which the county workers extorted the owners or operators by threatening them with fines or even having their eatery shut down, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office officials said.
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WATCH HEREAuthorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of Charles E. Bryant II and Craig A. Bethel, both former inspectors from the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management, follwing an investigation dubbed "Operation Grease Trap."
The pair claimed the restaurants had faulty grease traps and told the victims that instead of paying a fine, they could give them cash, authorities said.
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Both men worked in the same office but used the scheme independently, police said. It's believed they stole more than $14,000 from the mostly family-run businesses, officials said.
One of those who said whe was a victim is Corina Jiminez, the owner of gelato shop Vegallia.
"We told him that we had just had an inspection, but he was adamant that we hadn't used the proper regulations that were required and that he would fix it in the system for a fee," Jiminez said in Spanish. "He came with proper identification, he came in an official car, he had everything."
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Jiminez said the man was so insistent she gave up $350, but said some friends she spoke with gave up more.
"He was so pushy that I called a neighbor over, so he wouldn't see that we were only women in the business, and to see if he thought the man was legitimate and he did too. He had the right documentation, the uniform, the car," she said.
Bryant and Bethel face charges including unlawful compensation, unlawful scheme to defraud, and official misconduct, Cordero-Stutz said.
Both men appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Thursday morning.
"The facts here are quite egregious with all the business owners, he was trying to, he got money from them and threatened them with fines and citations to their business if they didn't pay him," Judge Mindy Glazer said during Bethel's appearance. "I think it's rather serious."
Bethel was granted a $35,000 bond while Bryant's was set at $12,500.
