STUART, Fla. — Two high-ranking Port St. Lucie police officers used the addresses of former and current police officers to forge lease agreements and driver licenses in the "Operation Martingate" recruiting scheme, according to documents.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement last week arrested eight people, including the brothers.
According to probable cause affidavits, Robert and William Vega used other people's informaion. In some cases, those people had no idea their addresses were being used.
Region Martin County
Will anyone else be held accountable for 'Martingate'?
For example, FDLE said in 2020, William Vega, who was the assistant chief of Port St. Lucie police at the time, called another person at the department into his office and asked if they still lived in Martin County.
The person's name was redacted, but FDLE said William Vega asked if they would be "willing to help get a child out of the Fort Pierce area" by letting the student use their family's address to go to school in Martin County.
FDLE said that person did not feel comfortable with the request and never gave William Vega a direct yes or no answer. The affidavit also said they feared saying no would jeopardize their job.
The FDLE affidavit goes on to say that one of the parents arrested used that address on a driver's license and insurance receipt anyway without the homeowner's knowledge, using the documents as proof of address so her son could play football on Martin County High School's team.
That's one of several examples laid out in the affidavit, explaining how William and Robert Vega used others' addresses to get six students into Martin County High School, according to FDLE.
WPTV went to the addresses in the affidavit that weren't redacted. Some of the homeowners didn't want to go on camera, but told us they felt taken advantage of and used.
One address didn't appear to exist.
It costs Martin County taxpayers $3,636.85 for one student to attend school in the county for just one year, according to the Martin County School District, i
That's why all eight people FDLE said are involved were arrested on grand theft charges.
Assistant State Attorney David Lustgarden said the lead prosecutor is now scheduling a state attorney hearing to decide if their office will file charges against all eight people. If that happens, they'll have to decide whether to prosecute separately or together.
"At this point obviously they’ve all been arrested separately," Lustgarden said. "Often times that is done for efficiency so that very well may take place for this case."
Lustgarden said that process will likely take about three weeks or longer.
