A former Miami Police officer who used traffic stops to steal money and drugs from people he thought were suspects but who turned out to be undercover agents was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years and 3 months in prison.
Officials including U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe and Miami police Chief Manuel Morales issued a harsh rebuke of the crimes and issued a warning to other law enforcement officers who think about "tarnishing the badge."
Frenel Cenat, 41, pleaded guilty in March to attempted Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right and attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Cenat, who had been a Miami Police officer since September 2008 and since 2020 had worked for the property and evidence unit, was arrested by the FBI in November of 2023.
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He was sentenced to 135 months and 5 years of supervised release.
"Let this serve as an example... this is what will happen. We will find you, we will identify you and we will put you behind bars," Morales said Tuesday.
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The FBI began their investigation into Cenat after a confidential source told them he had previously conducted traffic stops of people known to have just engaged in drug transactions to steal the money or drugs they were transporting, an arrest affidavit said.
Cenat would use his official police vehicle, an unmarked Ford Explorer, to conduct the traffic stops and would be in his police uniform, the affidavit said.
Cenat was recorded on video and audio "coordinating schemes and conducting traffic stops of two individuals who he was told had just engaged in drug transactions, with the intention of stealing the money and/or drugs involved in those illegal transactions," the affidavit said.
The affidavit said Cenat explained that he would pull the schemes while he was off-duty and outside of his jurisdiction.
"On duty they (MPD) got computers on and can track you and s--- like that…you know what I mean…ping your phone… what you are doing in this area," he said, according to the affidavit. "You don't wanna do that s--- bro while you are on
duty…If I work down there I will never f--- down there bro."
Cenat discussed several prior incidents involving drug transactions where he coerced people to give him their drugs, money or both to avoid going to jail, the affidavit said.
In October, Cenat discussed stopping a person after a drug transaction to steal around $50,000 from them, saying "I just need bread now," the affidavit said.
On Nov. 3, two undercover FBI agents posed as people involved in the transaction of 3 kilograms of cocaine for $52,000 in Miami Gardens after Cenat arranged to steal from one of them, the affidavit said.
As one left, Cenat followed and stopped them, identified himself as "Officer Martez" with "Miami PD - Dade County Narcotics Unit" and told them he'd witnessed the drug transaction, the affidavit said.
Cenat gave the undercover agent the choice of giving him a backpack containing the cash or going to jail, and the agent gave him the bag, the affidavit said.
After that incident, the informant and Cenat discussed another theft scheduled for Nov. 16 in which someone would be stopped with 6 or 7 kilos of cocaine and at least $30,000 in cash in Deerfield Beach, the affidavit said.
Cenat said he would give the cocaine to the informant and his buddy to sell and they would split the money, the affidavit said.
On Nov. 16, the FBI performed another undercover fake drug transaction, after which Cenat followed one of the undercover agents and pulled them over, the affidavit said.
Cenat again introduced himself as "Officer Martez" with the "Broward County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit" and took a duffel bag containing 7 kilos of DEA prop drugs and $80,000 in cash, the affidavit said.
Cenat asked the undercover agent "You want to go home tonight or spend 30 years in… federal prison?" the affidavit said.
He also asked for their phone number and said "You now work for me" and "When I call… you better answer," the affidavit said. "If I call you and you don't answer… I'm coming for you."
Cenat later met with the informant in Coral Springs to split the money and drugs, and that's where he was arrested by the FBI, the affidavit said.
Cenat faced a minimum of 10 years and a maximum sentence of up to life in prison, authorities said.
