Arizona DPS trooper arrested for allegedly defrauding agency
Jul 12, 2019, 8:23 AM
Pedro Javier Aguila Muniz (MCSO Photo)
(MCSO Photo)
PHOENIX — An Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper was arrested Wednesday for allegedly defrauding the agency and a contractor.
Pedro Javier Aguila Muniz, 27, worked for the Highway Patrol Division’s Metro Bureau for about two years, according to a DPS press release.
The department began a criminal investigation into Aguila in May due to discrepancies between his time sheets and patrol vehicle mileage.
The agency said it found that Aguila had used his patrol vehicle for personal use and used a state-issued credit card to make unauthorized gas purchases.
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He was also found to have used the Arizona Criminal Justice Information System to look up people without a criminal justice purpose, a violation of state law.
Aguila was arrested at the department’s headquarters and charged with fraudulent schemes, fraudulent use of a credit card, theft of a credit card, forgery and unauthorized access of criminal history.
“Aguila’s extensive misuse of department-issued property and his willingness to violate clear and specific laws, policies and rules was evident throughout the investigation conducted by our detectives,” DPS Director Col. Frank Milstead said in the release.
