By The Associated Press
A third ex-police officer is going to federal prison as part of a conspiracy in a small Florida city to frame Black people for crimes they did not commit.
Court records show a federal judge Oct.18 sentenced former Biscayne Park officer Guillermo Ravelo to just over two years behind bars. Ravelo pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge involving the false arrests of two Black men for burglaries and vehicle break-ins and use of excessive force.
Prosecutors say former police chief Raimundo Atesiano orchestrated the scheme to improve his department’s crime-solving rate. Atesiano has pleaded guilty and faces up to 10 years at sentencing next month.
Two other former Biscayne Park officers were sentenced Oct. 16 to a year each in prison for false arrest of a Black teenager.