SWEETWATER, Fla. – A food store owner in Sweetwater has been charged with bribery after allegedly offering to pay off a code enforcement officer in order to have his business license returned, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.
“The Code Enforcement Officer recognized this and thwarted an alleged effort to corrupt the daily business of Sweetwater.
The business license had been revoked due to ordinance violations, including having gambling machines in the back of the store, authorities said.
Prosecutors said the code enforcement officer had four face-to-face meetings and several phone conversations with Gazawi from April 29 to May 14, during which the store owner provided $5,000 in cash to the code enforcement officer with the promise for more.
“We continue to maintain a professional law enforcement agency with representatives that uphold the law and say no to corruption.”