FBI arrests six in ‘pirate towing’ kickback probe aimed at Miami police

The Miami Herald reports:

Tow truck drivers have been called a lot of unprintable names over the years in Miami and a federal case filed Friday won’t help things.

The FBI broke up what agents called a “pirate towing” racket, arresting four tow truck operators and two Miami police aides on bribery and fraud charges.

No Miami police officers were arrested in the take-down. But arrests of city police officers in this alleged scam — and possibly other cops involved in similar misconduct — are expected in the coming months, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The four Miami tow truck operators — Jesus Tello, Reinaldo Martin Cruz, Ronald Alfaro and Michael Perez — are accused of paying tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to the city’s two public service aides, Aristides Paulino and Keri Dixon, according to an FBI criminal complaint.

In exchange for the kickback payments, the aides used official police information to steer the pirate tow truck operators to traffic accidents, according to prosecutor Anthony Lacosta, who filed the complaint.

Those "public service aides" sure are greedy government workers.