Miami-Dade police officials announced Tuesday that one of their own officers had been arrested.
According to authorities, Lt. Alexander Diaz de Villegas and his ex-wife, Barbara Diaz de Villegas, also known as Barbara Gonzalez, are charged with organized fraud, filing false insurance claims, and grand theft.
According to an arrest warrant, Diaz de Villegas filed a police report on Oct. 31, 2016, claiming that Gonzalez, who is a licensed public adjuster in Florida, had forged his signature on several documents related to a 2015 insurance claim that had been filed for damages that occurred inside his home.
He also claimed his ex-wife forged the endorsements on several settlement checks issued by Citizens Property Insurance.
The checks totaled more than $25,000.
According to the warrant, the lieutenant benefited financially from the fraud.
Investigators said the former couple conspired together since 2012 to file numerous deceitful claims on the home owned by the officer.
Gonzalez acted as a public adjuster on the claims, never letting on that she was married to Diaz de Villegas, authorities said.
Diaz de Villegas bonded out of jail Tuesday afternoon and covered his face as he dodged questions from reporters. His ex-wife remains behind bars.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Diaz de Villegas has worked for the Miami-Dade Police Department for more than 25 years.