Whistleblower Hialeah cop gets stripped down at mayoral swearing-in

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Chief Sergio Velazquez abuses his position to retaliate and embarrass

Ending three months of medical leave for an off-duty injury, Hialeah Police Sgt. Marvin Alvarez was set to come back to work on Monday. But after attending the swearing-in ceremony Friday for newly-elected Mayor Esteban Bovo, Alvarez was relieved of duty — and stripped to his undershirt right there on the street.

Sources and witnesses told Ladra that Chief Sergio Velazquez — who already has a hard on for Alvarez since the 20-year veteran sent a letter last year to then mayor Carlos Hernandez and the state attorney’s office complaining about the chief — made the sergeant take off his shirt and turn over his gun and badge in public.

Alvarez was photographed in his camiseta.

Read related: Esteban Bovo solidly wins his second place prize job: mayor of Hialeah

“I went to go show my respect for the new mayor,” Alvarez told Ladra. “I have many years left in the city and it was the right thing to do.”

Besides, he lives there. He voted for Bovo.

“I’m a citizen. I pay taxes.”

Alvarez went to the swearing in outside City Hall in full Class A uniform and said the chief sent a major and commander to tell him to split.

“They said ‘You have to leave. The chief said to go home,'” Alvarez said. He was there on his own time and didn’t think they had any right to tell him to leave, so he declined. That’s when things got weird: The chief relieved him of duty on the spot, making him strip to his undershirt on the street behind the swear-in stage.

Kind of like a public flogging.

“I’m embarrassed,” Alvarez told Ladra. “He wanted to embarrass me in front of my colleagues.”

Was it further retaliation for his whistleblowing last year. “Of course I have a target on my back,” Alvarez said. “It was a personal attack.”

In June of last year, Ladra learned that Alvarez had sought protection under the Florida “Whistleblower’s Act,” State Statute 112.3187, which prohibits agencies “from taking retaliatory action against an employee who reports to an appropriate agency violations of law on the part of a public employer,” among other things, because of a two-page complaint he wrote to Hernandez and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle.

“I am writing this letter to report suspected unlawful conduct and/or misfeasance/malfeasance possibly committed by Chief Sergio Velazquez,” it starts.

“On November 07, 2019, I had previously texted Chief Velazquez and advised him I wanted to meet with him in private. On this date, he instructed me to meet him at the Chevron Gas station located at 2060 E. 4 Avenue, Hialeah, Fl. I was working overtime and met the Chief at the gas station. (The Southeast part of the parking lot near the trash dumpster). I advised the Chief that it had been brought to my attention that the Chief was inquiring about who was involved with a criminal investigation that was focused on Major Hubert Ruiz by the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office. The rumor was that the Chief was directly blaming me and another Sergeant (Luis Garcia) who had just recently retired.

The Chief then advised me that he did receive a call from an Assistant State Attorney, and that the ASA briefed him about an ongoing investigation related to Major Hubert Ruiz for the alleged theft of boat engines and fraud. The Chief also expressed that he should not be technically talking about the case because he had not received the formal close out memo yet. He also stated: “But I know you’re not going to say nothing.”

I did explain to the Chief that I do not have anything to do with that criminal investigation and that I was never summoned to the State Attorney’s office for anything related to it. The Chief then stated: “I know you’re not involved, this is a Raul Martinez and Rolando Bolanos tactic. I know that Orlando Salvat is behind all of this. I know that Orlando Salvat was involved in the pushing of the investigation and manipulated Sergeant Garcia into providing the ASA with information.”

I responded to the Chief of Police that he is losing his mind and that I believed that Salvat has nothing to do with any of the things he was speaking about. The Chief then replied, he (Salvat) is doing this because I demoted him. He (Salvat) is the one calling the Miami Herald and leaking information. Chief Velaquez then told me, ‘If Salvat thinks he will be fine with the next administration he is wrong. I will destroy his career and get him fired. I should have never trusted him. He is using the same tactics that Raul Martinez (Ex-City of Hialeah Mayor) used.’”

After this conversation, the Chief has since taken Salvat’s City issued police car without issuing any form of discipline as a form of justification. The Chief relieved Salvat of duty very soon after Salvat returned to work from FMLA leave. All of the Chief’s actions are consistent with his pledge made to me to destroy Salvat’s career. Based on the events mentioned, I suspect that Chief Velazquez may be trying or has already intentionally interfered with an ongoing criminal investigation and he is willfully abusing his office, power and authority as Chief of Police by unjustifiably targeting certain employees in an attempt to unjustifiably end our police careers.

Recently, I have been issued discipline amounting to suspension without pay, for violating the meal policy by taking my personal breaks at my house (located within the City of Hialeah) which were taken openly over the police radio during my shift. I have done this routinely for a total of 63 times dating back to December of 2018 and none of my supervisors nor command staff members have ever expressed an issue with me doing this, however, since Salvat has been relieved of duty, I believe the Chief is now unjustifiably targeting me (for being an alleged member of  “team Salvat”) with the intent of destroying my long and commendable police career.

Alvarez hadn’t spoken to his union rep yet as of midday Saturday, but it sure looks like Velazquez was retaliatory at worst, selective at best. Another officer on leave, another sergeant, was also at the swearing-in wearing his dress blues. When someone brought that up five hours later, that sergeant got a 20-hour suspension. No public flogging.

Read related: Two Hialeah council races head to runoffs, could swing power one way

Political Cortadito was unable to reach Chief Velazquez, who makes $211,000 a year and has had a series of missteps that have caused his leadership to be questioned. Most recently, he covered up for his buddy, serial sex predator Sgt. Jesús Menocal Jr., accused by feds of kidnapping and raping 4 women and girls.

Instead of disciplining Menocal, Velazquez promoted him, gave him a raise and lied to the public.

But he’s a terrible judge of character.

Last year, he was a witness for an arrested federal tax cheat with 12 convictions who had spit in an officer’s face, kicked an officer in the groin and even pointed a gun at a Miami officer.

Velazquez swore the man was a law-abiding and charitable businessman.

Ten years before he was named chief by Hernandez in 2012, former Chief Bolaños recommended firing Velazquez, a sergeant at the time, after he was suspected of “disappearing” a case file during a trial. The defendant was a woman he flirted with when she was handcuffed at the police station, later dated, and hired both a lawyer and a santero for.

A year after that, according to a Miami Herald story, he trumped up battery and cocaine charges in a domestic dispute as an off-duty favor to a family friend. He was demoted from lieutenant back to sergeant.

How is this guy the chief of police anywhere?

Calls and texts to the newly-elected mayor were not returned, as usual.

One has to wonder if the police department in Hialeah is going to continue to operate like a gang under the new administration.

One also has to advise Sgt. Alvarez to go to un alabao for protection. Because Ladra has less faith in the state attorney’s office.

  Esteban Bovo, Sergio Velazquez