Former Biscayne Park Police Chief Raimundo “Ray” Atesiano pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to violate civil rights. Courtesy photo.

The former police chief of a tiny Miami suburb has pleaded guilty in federal court for his involvement in a conspiracy to abridge civil rights.

Former Biscayne Park Police Chief Raimundo “Ray” Atesiano entered a guilty plea Friday to one of the three charges that had been filed against him by federal prosecutors. Atesiano, along with former Biscayne Park officers Guillermo Ravelo, Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez, were alleged to have framed teenage black Biscayne Park residents for crimes they didn't commit.

Read Raimundo “Ray” Atesiano's plea agreement: 

According to a bombshell Miami Herald report published in July, Atesiano encouraged officers under his charge to deliberately target black people in order to settle unsolved crimes. As recounted in the Miami Herald story, records from a 2014 internal probe quote Officer Anthony De La Torre as saying Atesiano and other officers in the small police department “were basically doing this to have a 100 percent clearance rate for the city.”

“The right to be free from false arrests is fundamental to our Constitution and system of justice,” Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore in a media statement. “Law enforcement officers who abuse their authority and deny any individual this right will be held accountable. As the chief of police, defendant Atesiano was trusted by his community to lead their police officers by example. He has failed his community and the officers of Biscayne Park.”

Former Biscayne Park Police Chief Raimundo Atesiano. Courtesy photo

As outlined in the statement, Atesiano ordered officers to arrest and charge individuals with unsolved burglaries under false pretenses. Additionally, the release notes that Atesiano has admitted in court filings that he knowingly instructed an officer to arrest and charge an individual based on false confessions on at least one occasion.

Prior to Atesiano's plea entry, Ravelo, Dayoub and Fernandez all pleaded guilty for entering a conspiracy to violate an individual's civil rights. Atesiano's sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 27, while  Ravelo's will be held Oct. 4. Dayoub and Fernandez are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 16.

Atesiano's attorney, Richard Docobo, told the Daily Business Review that his client and the other officers did not make the unlawful arrests based on racial animus.

“The facts do not demonstrate that any of the arrests in question were predicated on the arrestee's race or ethnicity. There simply is no credible evidence to suggest such a thing happened,” Docobo told the Daily Business Review. “The various officers in question, including the chief, engaged themselves in arrests of persons they personally believed were involved in the crimes charged. Unfortunately, they embellished on the available evidence and this behavior should not be condoned.”

“Mr. Atesiano clearly did not target any Biscayne Park residents sheerly because of their race. In addition, Mr Atesiano, nor the co-defendants, had no financial motive for engaging in the activity of which they plead guilty.”

Atesiano and the other Biscayne Park officers are also named as defendants in two lawsuits filed by alleged victims of the fraudulent behavior outlined by federal prosecutors. The cases are ongoing.

Read the indictment against Raimundo “Ray” Atesiano and former Biscayne Park officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez: