3rd Florida ex-officer sent to prison for framing suspects

MIAMI – A third ex-police officer is going to federal prison as part of a conspiracy in a small Florida city to frame black people for crimes they did not commit.

Court records show a federal judge Thursday sentenced former Biscayne Park officer Guillermo Ravelo to just over two years behind bars. Ravelo pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge involving the false arrests of two black men for burglaries and vehicle break-ins and use of excessive force.

Prosecutors say former police chief Raimundo Atesiano orchestrated the scheme to improve his department’s crime-solving rate. Atesiano has pleaded guilty and faces up to 10 years at sentencing next month.

Two other former Biscayne Park officers were sentenced Tuesday to a year each in prison for false arrest of a black teenager.