Former cop accused of pawning weapons had gambling addiction, lawyer says

Attorney for Yan Kleyman says police top brass 'condoned his addiction'

Yan Kleyman is accused of pawning guns and other equipment from the Hallandale Beach Police Department where he worked.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. ā€“ A former Hallandale Beach police officer accused of pawning department-issued weapons and other items had a gambling addiction that was well-known to his superiors, his attorney told Local10.com.

Yan Kleyman was arrested on a charge of dealing in stolen property, Chief Sonia Quinones said Friday in a video posted on the Hallandale Beach Police Department's Facebook page.

Recommended Videos



Quinones said a routine audit uncoveredĀ that Kleyman conducted pawn transactions with department-issued equipment.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Kleyman conducted 15 separate pawnbroker transactions involving department-issued items between March 2017 and August 2018. Among the items sold were a semiautomatic rifle and a semiautomatic pistol.

"He's no longer a member of our police department," Quinones said.

Important message from the Hallandale Beach Police Department

Important message from the Hallandale Beach Police Department

Posted by Hallandale Beach Police Department on Friday, February 15, 2019

Miami attorney Richard L. Cooper told Local10.com in an email Friday night that the top brass at the Hallandale Beach Police Department knew about his client's gambling addiction for years.

"Kleyman's superiors knew about his mental health condition, condoned his addiction and went as farĀ as to deduct his gambling debts from his paychecks to repay his creditor fellow officers," Cooper said.

In another email, Cooper said the department went so far as to cancel its annual casino night last year in what he believes was a response to Kleyman's known gambling addiction.

"The chief is covering for herself and her department," Cooper said. "While my client will take responsibility for what he did, the city of Hallandale failed Kleyman, a faithful employee who protected his city for years, and is now scrambling to protect themselves when they should have been helping their own years ago."

Kleyman was hired by the Hallandale Beach Police Department in November 2011.