MIAMI — A former Miami police
officer was sentenced Tuesday to just over a year in federal prison for
accepting hundreds of dollars in bribes as a police officer to protect a
check-cashing business.
U.S. District Judge Robert
Scola sentenced Harold James, 29, to one year and three months. Prosecutors had
recommended a year and a half, citing a February plea agreement, prompt
admission of guilt and cooperation with investigators.
James pleaded for leniency and
understanding at his hearing, explaining that he made a stupid mistake.
"If anybody asked me for
the shirt off my back, I gave it to them," James told the judge.
"Church and work, that's all I do."
Scola reminded the eight-year
veteran that some people in the community have a hard time believing police officers
because of the wrongdoing of cops like James and others.
"It seems the City of
Miami Police Department has a culture of corruption that exceeds all other
police departments," Scola said to James. "You threw away your career
for chump change — $800."
Authorities say James, who had
resigned in November, was targeted by a fellow police officer, Nathaniel
Dauphin, who began working for the FBI after being implicated in a Liberty City
sports gambling last year.
The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/ZLe3a0 ) reports that James and
Dauphin are among 11 Miami police officers facing federal criminal charges or
internal discipline related to the gambling protection scheme and other
criminal activities.