A Florida official was fired for allegedly cashing in his worker’s $20,000 successful lottery ticket — three years after his spouse resigned as police chief for making an attempt to make use of her place to get him out of a site visitors cease.
Tampa Code Enforcement Director Keith O’Connor was canned Tuesday following an investigation by the Florida Division of Legislation Enforcement that discovered he allegedly colluded together with his worker, Aubrey Pierce, in line with WFLA.
O’Connor is believed to have cashed within the ticket for Pierce, a providers attendant with code enforcement, as a result of the employee was behind on baby help funds and would have had the reward seized if he did it himself.
Officers started trying into the lottery ticket after they found textual content messages and cellphone information between the 2 males throughout an investigation into Pierce, who was accused of accepting bribes in alternate for permitting dumping on metropolis property.
Pierce, who was employed by the town in February 2023, was arrested in August and charged with a number of felonies, together with bribery by a public servant, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, grand theft and violation of Florida litter legislation, in line with court docket information seen by The Put up.
He has pleaded not responsible to the bribery and litter costs.
O’Connor was positioned on paid administrative go away at the start of the investigation in September.
The FDLE handed over the findings of the lottery ticket investigation to prosecutors who should not submitting costs in opposition to O’Connor, citing inadequate proof for a profitable prosecution, in line with WFLA.
The pinnacle enforcement boss was nonetheless fired by his supervisors due to his actions.
“Our group is constructed on professionalism, accountability, and integrity,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor mentioned, in line with the outlet. “The neighborhood we serve expects and deserves the best requirements from all Metropolis staff, particularly these in management positions.”
Pierce stays an worker of the town however is presently beneath suspension and awaiting the outcomes of a disciplinary listening to.
He had an in depth rap sheet earlier than he was employed by the town, together with earlier costs for grand theft and housebreaking, WFLA reported.
In 2013, he wrote a letter to a choose asking to be launched from jail due to his future employment within the authorities.
“I’ve a superb job ready on me with the Metropolis of Tampa,” Pierce wrote. “Due to the assistance of Main Keith O’Connor of the Tampa Police Division.”
O’Connor’s spouse, former Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor, resigned in shame after she unsuccessfully used her affect to get her husband out of a ticket for working an unregistered golf cart.
The then-51-year-old flashed her badge at a Pinellas County deputy and requested to “simply allow us to go,” in line with viral bodycam footage.
Mary O’Connor served as Tampa’s police chief for 10 months earlier than she was positioned on go away and subsequently resigned.
“I by no means need my private mistake to face in the way in which of the progress I’ve made in mending relationships between the police division and the neighborhood, so for that motive, I’m resigning,” her resignation letter mentioned, in line with Fox 13 Information.
