MIAMI – A former police officer with the Village of Biscayne Park appeared in federal court Friday in Miami after being indicted for "deprivation of civil rights under color of law against two individuals on separate occasions and for falsifying records in a federal investigation," the Department of Justice announced in a news release.
Guillermo Ravelo, 37, of Miami, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine if he is convicted of all charges.
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According the indictment, Ravelo responded to a request for assistance from another Biscayne Park police officer who had conducted a traffic stop on April 7, 2013.
Authorities said Ravelo punched the driver during the arrest.
In a separate incident on June 14, 2013, Ravelo responded to a call about a vehicle burglary that was happening in Biscayne Park and struck the suspect with a blunt object, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Ravelo falsified the police reports in both incidents by "misstating the circumstances of the arrests and by omitting that he struck both of the victims."