Ex-Hialeah police chief walks out of Miami-Dade jail

HIALEAH, Fla. – Sergio Velazquez, the Hialeah police chief from 2012 to 2021, walked out of jail Tuesday after prosecutors accused him of stealing city funds to cover lavish personal expenses including shopping for Rolex, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Versace.

Attorney Rick Diaz represented Velazquez, 61, when he appeared before Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer Tuesday in bond court. Before corrections released him, he had to prove that the source of his $30,000 bond was not criminal.

Records show prosecutors accused Velazquez of stealing over $635,000 out of the $2.6 million that vanished while he allegedly exploited the city’s narcotics investigations and forfeiture funds.

Velazquez faced charges of organized fraud, money laundering, and first-degree grand theft.