Miami-Dade, FL - A South Florida traffic court clerk has been charged with three felonies after allegedly stealing traffic fine payments for himself instead of forwarding them to the county.
Police say Scott Kessler, who worked in the office of the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts for over a decade, was stationed at the North Dade Justice Center at 15555 Biscayne Boulevard when he was arrested.
Kessler's job involved assisting individuals who sought to pay for traffic infractions and other court-mandated payments.
However, prosecutors allege that Kessler began stealing cash payments made by at least five individuals after they reported receiving notices of failure to complete a payment plan.
This led to an investigation by Miami-Dade who set up an undercover operation, utilizing video surveillance and paying fines with marked bills directly to Kessler, who accepted the payments.
When authorities arrested Kessler at the North Dade Justice Center, he admitted to the officer that he had "messed up."
Kessler is believed to have stolen between $4,000 to $5,000.
He's been charged with conspiracy to commit an organized scheme to defraud, official misconduct, and grand theft.