Investigation underway into how Miami-Dade Corrections officers, staff were paid millions of dollars for overtime hours not actually worked – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
7News has learned there’s an investigation into the misuse of taxpayer dollars in Miami-Dade County. It involves jail employees being paid for overtime hours they did not actually work. 7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Keon Hardemon: “Corrections Department has a lot of issues with cost. They have a lot of issues.”
That was Commissioner Keon Hardemon calling out the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department in October.
His criticism of the eighth largest jail system in the country continued.
Keon Hardemon: “I’ve been on the floor and seen Corrections officers asleep. I know what it means to support law enforcement. But I also know what it means when people hide behind the badge. And so I’ve seen behavior in the department that is unbecoming.”
Now 7Investigates has learned of more disturbing behavior. Miami-Dade Corrections has paid millions of dollars in overtime to Corrections officers and staff who never earned it.
We obtained these documents listing 587 employees’ names — some appearing more than once — along with the amount of money they were overpaid.
Sources say for the last few years, these employees put in for overtime and were paid for hours they never actually worked.
The dollar amounts vary, from a $63 overpayment to a Corrections technician all the way up to more than $31,000 to a Corrections corporal.
Commissioner Hardemon alluded to the issue during the October commission meeting.
Keon Hardemon: “I think the Corrections Department knows that they have an issue with time — what many would describe as theft of time that goes to the tens of millions of dollars. And that’s our biggest cost — when you start talking about overtime and Corrections.”
The documents 7News obtained show a total of more than $4 million in overpayments — with $2.8 million already recouped.
Records reveal the department is allowing employees to pay back what they owe through deductions in their paychecks.
When we asked Corrections about the overpayments, the department sent 7Investigates a statement saying they’re “aware of this matter and a full internal affairs investigation is underway,” adding “the department is committed to full transparency, accountability” and “any misconduct will face appropriate disciplinary action.”
Exactly how these county employees will be disciplined, and what is being done to prevent this from happening again, remains to be seen.
Because for taxpayers, fake hours add up to real costs.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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