The FBI arrested two South Florida mayors Michael Pizzi and Manuel Marono on bribery-related charges, the Associated Press reported.
Charges of taking kickbacks have landed both mayors in hot water, as according to federal prosecutors, both men were involved in bribes over thousands of dollars in exchange for supporting federal government grant application in their respective cities of Sweetwater and Miami Lakes.
The arrests came after a two-year investigation prompted by a tip, authorities said. During an undercover operation, FBI agents posed as officials at a fictitious, Chicago-based not-for-profit company that claimed to help local governments obtain federal grants, news reports said.
Both men are charged with conspiracy to commit extortion. As a result, Governor Rick Scott issued an order suspending both men from office.
"This is disappointing. We will wait to see the evidence, the fact remains that elected officials must be held to the highest standard," Governor Scott said.
"Our democracy suffers when, as in these cases, elected officials use their power and political influence for personal gain instead of for the public good," U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer added in a news release. "Public corruption, at any level of government, corrodes and undermines the public's confidence in our system of government."
The FBI has proof of the bribes and kickbacks through recorded conversations, The Miami Herald reported.
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