Authorities are reviewing cases related to a Miami-Dade Police detective accused of stealing evidence money from a drug investigation, the Miami-Dade State Attorney said Monday.
Det. Armando Socarras was arrested on a grand theft charge in February after admitting to keeping $1,300 of the money for personal reasons, authorities said.
The detective has entered a not guilty plea. NBC 6 spoke with his attorney Monday afternoon and she said she can't comment on the case.
Narcotics detectives, acting on a tip, went to a hotel and ended up seizing more than $17,000 and drugs but police say when the money was counted at the police property room, the $1,300 was missing. Investigators say the money was found a vehicle.
A video obtained by the Miami Herald shows Socarras after he waived his Miranda rights and started speaking with detectives. Socarras stated that his family was having financial troubles.
"When I was debating it, you know, I thought about, you know, my fiancée is unemployed, and we're struggling, and mainly for my kid's daycare, which is $170 a week, and I pay the mortgage," he said in the interview.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said some of Socarras' cases will now have to be reviewed.
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"One of the sad consequences of a case like this, other than it just bothers all of us so much that you turn your back on your uniform and your badge and the public trust, is what happens with other cases that may be pending," she said. "Obviously we're not going to tolerate public corruption by any official. It also shows we are working on integrating our office, internal affairs, FDLE. No one turned a blind eye to this."
Socarras has been relieved of duty without pay.
"The Miami-Dade Police Department values the trust we have built with our community and will always work to root out any employee who seeks to violate that trust," Miami-Dade Police assistant director Alfredo Ramirez said.
