BSO employee fired on embezzling allegations breaks her silence

Jennifer Bakowski wants sheriff to clear her name

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jennifer Bakowski was fired from her job as the human resources information manager at the Broward Sheriff's Office amidst public allegations by the agency that she was embezzling. 

That was in December 2012 under the administration of former Sheriff Al Lamberti. Five months later, BSO Detective John Calabro found no evidence to support the allegation, writing that further investigation wasn't warranted.

In June, the state attorney's office cleared Bakowski of all wrongdoing, finding no evidence against her whatsoever, yet BSO has still not closed the internal investigation against her nearly a year later.

"My life was turned upside down," Bakowski said.

Last week, Bakowski's attorney, Tonja Haddad Coleman, sent a pre-lawsuit demand letter to the agency claiming damages suffered by Bakowski in the case.

In the video, Bakowski breaks her public silence in an interview with Local 10 and makes a personal plea to Sheriff Scott Israel to clear her name once and for all.

"How can our law enforcement -- our top cop of Broward County -- allow this type of justice to go on?" she said. "Give me my name back."