By RNN Staff
(RNN) - Raimundo Atesiano, the former police chief of Biscayne Park, FL, will serve three years in prison for directing officers to frame black men in order to have a 100 percent clearance rate for burglaries.
At his sentencing hearing Tuesday, Atesiano accepted responsibility. He previously pleaded guilty on the charges of conspiracy to deprive individuals of their civil rights.
“When I took the job, I was not prepared,” Atesiano told the judge. “I made some very, very bad decisions.”
Three other former police officers also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy.
Atesiano encouraged Guillermo Ravelo, Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez to arrest individuals with no evidence or probable cause on open burglary cases.
The victims who were framed were not randomly selected but were known to have criminal pasts, Atesiano’s lawyer said.
Biscayne Park has a population of about 3,200, and its demographics are mostly white.
Atesiano resigned from the force in 2014.
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