FLORIDA
Federal indictments were announced Monday against former Biscayne Park Police Chief Raimundo Atesiano and former Officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez for their roles in conspiring to falsely arrest a 16-year-old juvenile, T.D., for four unsolved burglaries.
The indictments allege that Atesiano, Dayoub, and Fernandez violated civil rights under color of law, and deprived T.D.’s civil rights, under color of law, according to officials.
If convicted, Atesiano, Dayoub, and Fernandez are each facing up to 11 years in prison.
The indictment alleges that Atesiano, the Biscayne Park Police Chief, caused and encouraged officers to knowingly arrest T.D. without a legitimate basis to maintain a fictitious 100 percent clearance rate of reported burglaries.
Atesiano directed Dayoub and Fernandez to arrest T.D. on June 13, 2013, and falsely charge him with unsolved burglaries knowing that there was no evidence and no lawful basis to support such charges.
The indictment further alleges that following Atesiano’s instruction, Dayoub and Fernandez gathered information for four unsolved burglary cases, completed four arrest affidavits for the burglaries, and included a false narrative that an investigation revealed that T.D. had committed the four burglaries of unoccupied dwellings, according to officials.
Atesiano, Dayoub, and Fernandez knew there was no evidence and no lawful basis to arrest and charge T.D. with those crimes.
On July 9, 2013, at a meeting of the City Council for The Village of Biscayne Park, Atesiano announced that his department had a 100 percent clearance rate for burglaries, officials said.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.