Government employee arrested for misuse of public funds

MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Authorities were accusing MarcAnthony Tulloch, a local government employee, of misusing a Sunny Isles Beach credit card.

Tulloch, 32, worked for two cities in Miami-Dade County as a purchasing manager. Public officials trusted him. His  job responsibilities were focused on government expenditures.

"Everyone who knows him knows he is a really good husband and a good father," his defense attorney Paul Donnelly said Friday.

Court records show Tulloch was facing two felony charges -- third-degree grand theft and official misconduct -- in a case filed July 24 in Miami-Dade County. He is accused of misspending about $2,000.

North Miami City Manager Aleem Ghany told WLRN reporter Nadege Green that Tulloch, who had been working for the city since January, was suspended Friday due to the criminal charges.

The father of two told friends he worked hard for everything he had, and used what he learned in the U.S. Coast Guard and Miami-Dade County's procurement office to move up.

When Tulloch wasn't working as a government employee, he was doing consultancy work on the side with Bid Consutants, Inc., which is no longer active. 

The State Attorney's Office and Donnelly have been in discussions about the charges for some weeks.  His case was set for arraignment August 25 in front of Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Stacy Glick.