Sheriff ’s employee charged with filing fraudulent loan and apartment applications

A Broward Sheriff ’s Office employee is accused of filing multiple fraudulent applications for loans and apartment leases, the Sheriff ’s Office announced Friday.

Investigators discovered that Mozie filed other fraudulent apartment applications for two complexes in Plantation in September and October with false paychecks and used the Social Security number of a Miami-Dade resident that she bought for $200 to apply for the leases as well as a credit card, the Sheriff ’s Office said.

The Public Corruption Unit began investigating after Human Resources employees shared their concerns. Mozie’s application for the apartment complex located in Boca Raton showed her bi-weekly paycheck was $4,579 — $2,000 more than her actual pay, a probable cause affidavit says.

Investigators discovered that Mozie filed other fraudulent apartment applications for two complexes in Plantation in September and October with false paychecks and used the Social security number of a Miami-Dade resident that she bought for $200 to apply for the leases as well as a credit card, the Sheriff ’s Office said.

Investigators also discovered that Mozie applied for the federal Paycheck Protection Program loan in March 2021 and provided a higher income and false information about running a business in 2019, deputies said.

She received a $20,831 deposit in her bank account after applying with the fraudulent business information that had no evidence of existing prior to 2021, records say.

Mozie also applied for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan in August and said the fictitious business grossed $168,000 in the last year, the affidavit says, contradicting the amount in the PPP application. Though the second loan application was denied, Mozie still received a $15,000 grant based on the information she gave in the application.

Deputies arrested Mozie, who has worked at the Sheriff ’s Office since 2016, Thursday. She worked in the Department of Detention as a detention technician, a civil position part of the security staff.

Mozie faces three counts of scheme to defraud a financial institution and two counts of uttering a forged instrument.

Before her arrest, Mozie was suspended with pay, the Sheriff ’s Office said. She is now suspended without pay.