FLORIDA
A federal grand jury indicted a Miami Dade Police Department detective for making traffic stops of three motorists in order to steal their money and property, officials said Thursday.
Detective William Kostopoulos, 47, is charged with using his law enforcement authority to violate motorists’ civil rights under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to be free from unreasonable seizures of their property.
The indictment also charges Kostopoulos with making misleading statements in order to prevent the communication of information about his alleged crimes to federal law enforcement officers.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with assistance from the Homestead, Florida, Police Department.
Kostopoulos is presumed innocent until proven guilty.