Sergio Velazquez, the former police chief of Hialeah, Florida, has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses including money laundering, evading registration reports, organized fraud, and grand theft. The arrest occurred four years after Velazquez was dismissed amid a police scandal. Authorities allege that Velazquez stole approximately $600,000 from the city. He appeared before a judge on June 3, 2025, following the charges. In a related development, two other Miami-Dade officials were sentenced for COVID-related fraud: former Bureau of Prisons correctional officer Angelo Stephen received a four-month prison sentence for submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications, while Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee George Arestuche was penalized for submitting false Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications.