MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Ebony Nesbitt made the news June 2017 when she was injured in a crash in Miami Gardens during a chase involving a Haitian unlicensed driver with a criminal history. She recovered and returned to work, but on Thursday she was facing criminal charges herself.
The 28-year-old officer from North Miami appeared in federal court to face charges for crimes that she is accused of committing before joining the Miami-Dade Police Department, according to federal prosecutors.
FBI agents and Internal Revenue Service investigators accuse Nesbitt of participating in a scheme to defraud the federal government five years ago. She allegedly opened a bank account to receive a fraudulent federal income tax refund Oct. 2, 2013, prosecutors said.
Nesbitt is facing charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and theft of government money. If a jury finds her guilty of the charges, a federal judge can sentence her to up to 15 years in prison.