By Jerome Burdi and Barbara Hijek
Sun-Sentinel
FLORIDA — He was known as “Mike the Cop,” and his minimum bet was $500.
But he wasn’t lucky and owed thousands of dollars, official documents show. The gambling and loan sharking ring run out of Runyon’s restaurant in Coral Springs was busted last year with 12 arrests and $278,000 seized.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Fongemie could have been charged with a misdemeanor for his betting, which he did on duty and in uniform, but was not charged criminally, according to a department report.
Fongemie, 32, a deputy since 1999 who patrols west of West Palm Beach, was suspended for five days in September and warned that if he violated department policy again he’d be fired, internal affairs documents show.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said the ring, broken up in May 2008, had ties to “traditional organized crime families located in New York,” and used an off-shore Internet sports-wagering service, Chappy Sports Gambling and Bookmaking Enterprise. It was a multimillion dollar operation that functioned in South Florida for at least eight years, officials said.
The statements against Fongemie came from two people arrested: Samson Mandell, 34, of Boca Raton, and Dr. Michael Schwartz, 41, a podiatrist from west of Boca Raton.
Charges against Mandell later were dropped and Schwartz pleaded guilty but the judge agreed to withhold adjudication, meaning he would not have a conviction on his record.
The internal affairs investigation began in February and ended last month with the suspension.
During his interview with investigators in April, Fongemie admitted to the gambling and said he stopped and was seeking professional counsel to resolve it.
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