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Investigators Raid New York City Sheriff’s Office


The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) raided the City’s Sheriff’s office Thursday morning as part of a probe into Sheriff Anthony Miranda and his office’s handling of cash seized from unlicensed pot shops.

According to the New York Post, investigators searched the office in Queens after Miranda found tens of thousands of dollars in cash inside a safe in the building.

“DOI investigators seized body cam footage from the sheriff’s office along with more than $100,000 in cash during the raid, sources said,” New York Daily News stated.

From the New York Post:

Investigators are counting the money and taking pictures of the ledger, one source said, adding there was no record of the origins of the cash.

The DOI has been looking into whether the sheriff’s office, under Miranda’s leadership, improperly seized cash from unlicensed pot shops during crackdowns on the illegal businesses in recent months.

Miranda has been in “panic mode,” according to sources, since he told City Council members at a hearing last week he did not believe sheriff’s deputies had seized any money during the raids.

He claimed the vouchering process for property seized has been designated with the NYPD.

“They are the ones who voucher the property depending on the circumstances of the location,” Miranda reportedly said during last Tuesday’s hearing on the mayor’s enforcement of cannabis laws. “They will either voucher it as safekeeping or they will voucher it as investigatory evidence depending on the different circumstances.”

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New York Daily News reports:

But union officials refuted Miranda’s claims, saying deputy sheriffs are routinely asked to voucher cash and cannabis products.

Witnesses have informed DOI they’ve witnessed cash being removed from shops by sheriff’s deputies, and the corruption watchdog agency is known to be investigating the matter, The News first reported earlier this month.

Tensions between Miranda and the union have been running high, with the union calling on Miranda to resign for creating a “hostile work environment” that’s led to an exodus of rank-and-file members.

It was not immediately clear what has happened to cash seized during the “Padlock to Protect” weed shop crackdown operations run by a city task force that includes both the sheriff’s office and the NYPD.

Miranda told Brannan during last week’s hearing he would follow up with the NYPD and supply additional information to the City Council.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.



 

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