FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Two city of Fort Lauderdale employees were arrested Thursday morning for accepting payment from city residents to remove bulk trash, authorities announced Friday.
Liel Hilaire, 43, of Pembroke Pines, and Roudy Ambroise, 50, of Tamarac, face charges of grand theft and bribery.
According to Fort Lauderdale police, the employees removed bulk trash that exceeded the city's limit on several occasions, for which they were paid by city residents.
Police said Hilaire and Ambroise were employed by the city's Bulk Trash Division during the time the crimes were committed.
"The behavior exhibited by those involved in this incident is unacceptable. It violates the trust we place in our workforce; it damages the bonds we have established with our neighbors, and it undermines the standards to which each and every city employee is held accountable," Fort Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman said in a statement. "I commend our Parks and Recreation staff and our Police Department for their quick and decisive response to effectively address this situation. Our collective actions are a clear reminder that we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior in the city of Fort Lauderdale."
Police remind city residents that city employees or contractors in the field should never accept cash payments for the collection of trash, bulk trash and recycling or yard waste.
Anyone who witnesses this type of transaction is asked to report it to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department by calling 954-828-5700.