PHOENIX — A former Phoenix police officer has been sentenced to 18 months of probation after he admitted to manipulating his time cards to withdraw funds from the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Carl R. Ramirez, 51, has pleaded guilty to theft and attempted fraud after investigators uncovered evidence he had been getting paid simultaneously by two government agencies.
According to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Ramirez was hired to work as a full-time investigator for DES in March 2020. A couple of months later, Ramirez returned to working full-time as a Phoenix police officer but continued logging his time cards as if he still worked full-time for DES.
Ramirez collected full-time pay from both agencies for at least seven weeks, prosecutors say. He was indicted by a grand jury in June 2021 for multiple felony charges.
As part of his plea agreement, Ramirez must surrender his peace officer certification and pay $7,300 in restitution to DES. He no longer works for either agency.
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