Florida Officer Convicted of Taking Bribes in Illegal Towing Scheme

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A former Miami-Dade County police officer has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in an illegal towing scheme.

News outlets report Yuri Millan admitted he took kickbacks from tow-truck operators Oriel Ugardes and Jose Guim in exchange for information on stranded motorists. The three were charged in November. Millan was convicted Friday of conspiring to commit bribery.

Prosecutors say Millan also allowed Ugardes and Guim to rent his police radio so they could listen to encrypted police conversations to locate accidents before their competitors.

Detectives say Ugardes and Guim admitted that they paid thousands of dollars in the scheme to Millan and former Miami-Dade police aide Elina Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty last month to related federal conspiracy charges. She will be sentenced in February.

All three men will be sentenced in April.