A federal judge in Fort Lauderdale has sentenced a former Miami police officer to more than 11 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to bribing suspects for money and drugs, after authorities said he was caught in a 2023 sting operation.
Miami’s police chief and South Florida’s top federal prosecutor spoke Tuesday morning after Frenel Cenat’s conviction.
Posing as a narcotics officer and identifying himself at one point as “Officer Martez” of the “Miami PD-Dade County Narcotics Unit,” Frenel Cenat conducted traffic stops on undercover officers using his unmarked police car, demanding money and drugs in exchange for avoiding jail time, authorities said.
Cenat, 40 at the time of his arrest, was arrested after taking $80,000 and 7 kilograms of fake cocaine from an undercover agent.
In March, he pleaded guilty to attempted extortion under the Hobbs Act and attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
In addition to the 135 months in prison, the judge ordered Cenat to serve five years of supervised release after his release. The judge denied Cenat’s request for 30 days to surrender.
Miami Police Chief Manny Morales and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe spoke after Cenat was sentenced late Tuesday morning.
Mr Morales said the case served as a “warning” and “example for all men and women who proudly wear the badge.”
“If you ever think about losing your way, if you ever think about betraying the public trust and tarnishing the badge that we all wear so proudly, that’s what will happen,” he concluded.
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