Former Hialeah Officer Gets Five Years Behind Bars For Identity Fraud

A former Hialeah police officer will now find himself on the opposite side of a jail cell. 

Former officer Raul Castellon, 38, was sentenced to five years in prison Teusday.

Prosecutors say he illegally accessed a police database, stole residents’ personal information and gave it to another man who used it to commit identity fraud.

Castellon previously pled guilty to corruption, access device fraud and identity theft charges. The Hialeah Police Department terminated his employment as a result of the sentence. He had been placed on leave without pay “pending his imminent termination.”

Officials say Castellon had access to Florida’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database in March. The database provides officers with driver and motor vehicle information, license numbers, social security numbers and dates of birth.

Between June 1 and Oct. 19, 2016, Castellon sent 25 screen shots containing personal information of unsuspecting victims to Neilin Gonzalez-Diaz, who pled guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to more than six years in prison. Castellon received gifts in exchange for the information.

Castellon had also been cited for 13 violations of Hialeah Police rules, regulations and policies.


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