By Lisa J. Huriash, Sun
Sentinel
6:28 p.m. EDT, September 4,
2014
Three Coral Springs police
officers — including a detective assigned to embezzlement cases — were charged
Thursday with stealing thousands of dollars from their own police union.
One, Officer Doug Williams,
turned himself in at the Broward Main Jail early Thursday on charges of
pilfering more than $1,500 and spending it at the supermarket, home improvement
store and several restaurants.
The other two — his wife Sherry
Williams, an economic crimes detective, and Michael Hughes, an undercover
detective — were charged with multiple counts of grand theft and an organized
scheme to defraud. Both are expected to surrender in "the next day or
so," said their attorney, Michael Dutko.
Doug Williams, 56, former
president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 87, was charged with grand
theft. He joined Coral Springs in 1981 as an investigator, retired in September
2009 to collect a $4,999.02 a month pension and was re-hired immediately as a
part-time officer. He has been suspended from the agency since October, records
show.
According to an arrest report,
in September 2009 Williams used the union's Wells Fargo debit card to make
$1,584.80 in purchases, including items from Publix, Sears and Lowe's. He's
also accused of spending the money at several restaurants, including Chili's,
Fogarty's and Bru's Room Sports Grill, and making a $300 cash withdrawal.
Glenn Matonak, current FOP
president, said Williams was president from 2002 to 2008, and was vice
president when the alleged incidents happened. His card was strictly for union
business and approved purchases.
"We're very disappointed
in his actions," Matonak said.
Matonek said the investigation
was sparked by a random audit by the IRS in 2012 which questioned improper
transactions.
As a result, the 200-member FOP
hired an accountant for a forensic analysis, said union attorney Alan Diamond.
The review found excessive amounts of cash withdrawals and charges lacking receipts
or invoices from January 2006 to December 2011.
"Thats when they realized
the discrepancies weren't tax issues as much as they were legal issues,"
Diamond said.
Past union president Hughes is
accused of spending $16,000 of union money on groceries, restaurants and cash
withdrawals, according to union officials.
Hughes, 42, served as union
vice president in 2006 and 2007 and president for four years, beginning in
2008.
He began his career with the
Coral Springs Police Department in 2001 and earned $80,358, city officials
said.
Sherry Williams was union
treasurer from 1998 to 2011. She is accused of making cash withdrawals and
purchases of over $30,000, union officials said. Among her improper expenses: a
$400 office chair shipped to her father's house, union officials said.
Her personnel file includes
praise for work as an economic crimes detective. "One of Sherry's notable
cases involved an employee who embezzled over $300,000 from her employer during
a three-year period," a job evaluation read. "Sherry was able to
charge the subject and proved a theft amount of $148,000."
She had her share of discipline
too.
In 2003 she was reprimanded for
missing a court appearance where she was to testify as the arresting officer.
Charges against the defendant were dismissed, according to her file.
In 2011 she was punished for
taking her assigned car to Punta Gorda for a family emergency without
permission. Former Police Chief Duncan Foster wrote that driving 440 miles
while off duty was "irresponsible." He suspended her for 160 hours
and ordered her to reimburse the city $224.40 for wear on the car.
Sherry Williams, 48, joined the
department in 1994 as a service aide and was promoted to officer the following
year. She was earning $86,537 annually, officials said.
Hughes was put on
administrative leave with pay Wednesday, police said. The Williamses resigned
Thursday.
Dutko, whose firm represents
all three officers, said Doug Williams was released from jail on a $1,000 bond.
"He maintains his innocence," Dutko said.
Said Matonak, "To discover
that our leaders were stealing money from us is such a huge betrayal of
trust."
