MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the arrests Wednesday of two county inspectors accused of extorting local businesses for cash.
“They felt like they were being robbed,” Fernandez Rundle said.
Charles Bryant and Craig Bethel face multiple charges, including organized fraud and unlawful compensation.
Both Bryant and Bethel worked for the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. Investigators say they took more than $14,000 from local restaurants and businesses.
Local 10 News first reported on Bryant in May 2024, after a tip from Shinju Japanese Buffet at 8800 SW 72nd St. in Miami led investigators to Bryant. He was arrested then and is now back in jail as of Wednesday.
“They lied and said there were violations and then the extortion occurred,” Cordero-Stutz said.
Restaurant owners told investigators Bryant claimed they had a leaky grease trap and would fine them $50,000 unless they paid Bryant $2,000 to make it go away.
“The threat was made in a similar fashion to all of these businesses,” Cordero-Stutz said.
Deputies say Bryant did something similar at neighboring Jamaica Kitchen.
Investigators say the resulting operation, known as Operation Grease Trap, linked Bryant to four more local restaurants and unearthed alleged crimes by fellow inspector Bethel, accused of shakedowns at eight local eateries.
“What we’re looking for are more potential victims and also other potential corrupt inspectors,” Rundle said.
Officials fear this scheme could go even further.
“That’s why it’s so important for the community to understand that if you have that information to come forward,” Cordero-Stutz said.
Business owners who believe they’ve been victimized are asked to call the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Public Corruption Hotline at 305-599-3121 or the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Corruption Hotline at 305-547-3300.