Accused of fibbing on driver’s license applications, Broward sheriff faces reprimand
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony should be given a written reprimand, placed on an 18-month probationary period and ordered to complete ethics training after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement accused him of lying on at least seven occasions about previously having a suspended driver’s license, a judge ruled Monday.
Administrative Judge Robert Kilbride found that Tony failed to “maintain good moral character” because he knowingly provided incorrect and false answers when renewing his driver’s license in 2019, court documents reveal.
READ MORE: Broward sheriff accused of lying on driver’s license applications. What does he face?
The probe began in 2020 when Inspector Keith Riddick, who investigates corruption and crimes associated with public servants for FDLE, uncovered that Tony’s license was suspended for not showing up to court in 1998, per court documents.
Tony, who at the time lived in Pennsylvania, wasn’t yet a police officer. His license was reinstated in 2001.
The probe was launched at the request of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. DeSantis originally appointed Tony to the job in 2019 after he suspended former Sheriff Scott Israel in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting.
“There can be no doubt that [Tony’s] position as a law enforcement officer and Sheriff is also one of great public trust,” Kilbride said in the recommended order. ”[Tony’s] action on February 1, 2019, regrettably, has damaged that trust.”
Andrew Digby, assistant general counsel at FDLE, previously urged Kilbride to suspend Tony’s law enforcement certification for six months. His recommendation came after the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission alleged that Tony “unlawfully and knowingly” lied on driver’s license applications from 2002 to 2019.
Tony has hinted that the investigation is an “intended assault” on his character and career. In a filing, attorney Stephen Webster asked Kilbride to dismiss the case.
“[FDLE] failed to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that [Tony] did unlawfully and knowingly make a false statement knowingly conceal a material fact, or otherwise commit fraud when the applications were processed,” Webster said.
Kilbride, however, said FDLE didn’t prove that Tony knowingly lied on the applications before 2019.
When applying for a driver’s license, prospective motorists are asked under the penalty of perjury a series of questions, including if their license had previously been suspended. But Tony, in several applications from 2007 to 2019, responded that his driving privileges hadn’t been revoked or suspended, the filing states.
The applications in question were submitted when Tony was already a police officer. He became a certified law enforcement officer in 2005.
Riddick, court records show, didn’t investigate the applications from the period between 2007 to 2017 due to the statue of limitations. The investigator instead focused on the 2019 application, interviewing the driver’s license examiner who issued Tony a license.
READ MORE: FDLE probe finds Broward Sheriff Tony lied about past on forms. But state won’t prosecute
When interrogated, Tony admitted to knowing that his license was suspended, court documents indicate. Though the sheriff “vehemently” denied being asked the questions and didn’t recall having to answer them.
“[Tony] denied that his license had ever been suspended,” Digby’s filing states. “He attested to the information within his driver license replacement application, under penalty of perjury, by signing on the keypad...”
