MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Tyrone Derise Smith Jr., 35, a former Clerk of Courts supervisor in Miami-Dade County has been arrested on accusations that he stole more than $100,000 in court fees over a two-year period.
According to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Smith worked in the New Suits Section of the Family Court Division for 11 years until he resigned via email in June 2018.
His resignation came after an internal review had already been initiated due to the discovery of the missing funds, prosecutors said.
“When government employees steal, they not only grab the public’s money, but they squander the public’s trust in their local government,” State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement Monday. “Such actions betray our community and can never be accepted or tolerated.”
Smith faces one count of grand theft over $100,000, which is a first-degree felony, and one count of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000, which is a first-degree felony.
According to prosecutors, the internal review was initiated after a man went to the New Suits Section on June 8, 2018, to complain about the lack of movement on his civil case.
Prosecutors said the man was told he never paid the required filing fee, but he said he paid in cash and provided a receipt as proof.
“However, the official-looking receipt was an obvious fake since it was not printed on thermal paper as are the official COC receipts,” a news release from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’ Office stated. “The missing deposit funds, coupled with this new filing fee discrepancy, prompted COC administrative staff to conduct an internal audit of all of Smith’s transactions between August 2016 through April 2018 and to ask the Miami-Dade County Inspector General for investigative assistance.”
Prosecutors said the investigation revealed that 201 cases processed by Smith incorrectly stated that the filing fees had yet to be collected although all of those fees had been paid for in cash.
The filing fees totaled $80,817, prosecutors said.
“A subsequent search of Smith’s work computer allegedly revealed a saved form which could produce the same fraudulent receipt as was provided by the COC customers,” the news released stated.
According to prosecutors, Smith also stole COC deposit funds that were collected during May 16, 17, 21 and 23 of 2018, totaling $28,121.16
The total loss to the State of Florida and the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts was $108,938.16.
“The Office of the Inspector General continues to work with the Office of the Clerk of Courts and County departments to implement measures to avert incidents like this from happening again,” Inspector General Felix Jimenez said in a statement. “Please contact the OIG if you suspect fraud, waste or abuse in County government.”