Fmr. Dade Public Works Employee Behind Bars For Bribes
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A former Miami-Dade Public Works employee was sentenced to 30 months behind bars for accepting bribes from a contractor.
George Brown, 50, of Hollywood, pled guilty in January to a charge of accepting bribes in connection with programs receiving federal funds.
Brown was the Roadway Lighting Coordinator for the department, making him responsible for overseeing the installation and/or maintenance of more than 24,000 street lights in the county's roadway system.
According to documents filed in court, in 2011, a lighting contractor offered to give Brown "rewards" in exchange for the department's purchase of the contractor's lighting products .
Brown agreed and accepted more than $13,000 in bribes from the contractor between 2011 and 2012. Bribes included an air conditioning unit, a refrigerator, and an oven paid for by the contractor.
The items were either shipped to Brown's home or picked up by Brown at the contractor's business in Miami.
The contractor eventually began to cooperate with law enforcement and recorded conversations with Brown.
According to police, in one recording, Brown assured the contractor that no one else knew about their arrangement. In another recording, they discussed the delivery of certain merchandise in exchange for Brown's assistance on a Public Works' project on 27th Avenue in Miami.
Brown is also getting one year of supervised release and has been ordered to forfeit $13,000, the amount of the bribes.
