Veteran cop charged with dealing steroids, By: Charles Rabin
A veteran Miami police officer who was critical of his superiors was arrested for the illegal possession of steroids -- allegations a Miami commissioner called politically motivated.
March 16, 2006, MiamiHearld.com
Francisco Pichel, a veteran Miami cop who often criticized his superiors during his 24 years on the force, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly buying and selling a small amount of steroids and Cialis, the erectile dysfunction drug.
The arrest was announced at a hastily arranged mid-afternoon press conference by Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle and Miami Police Chief John Timoney that included a host of law enforcement officials.
Miami Commissioner Tomas Regalado criticized the arrest as politically motivated.
''That's a joke, man. I mean Cialis. We're in the business of sex in the city now,'' said Regalado. ``To have this much hoopla with the state attorney for Cialis and steroids. I mean there are bigger fish.''
Rundle said it was absurd for anyone to suggest politics was behind Pichel's arrest.
Pichel, 43, turned himself in to the police department's Internal Affairs division Wednesday morning. He was charged with the unlawful use of a communications device and possession with the intent to sell 400 milligrams of liquid testosterone, and three pills of Cialis.
Though unlikely, Pichel could face as many as 30 years behind bars. He posted a $10,000 bond and was out of jail before
Neither Pichel nor his attorney returned calls for comment on Wednesday. Pichel currently serves as the sergeant-at-arms, responsible for the protection of city commissioners.
Pichel has been in the cross hairs of the city's past three chiefs of police. The latest episode involved Timoney, who fired him in 2003 for allegedly leaking sensitive information on rape cases to The Miami Herald.
Pichel was reinstated later by city commissioners after some -- including Regalado -- expressed anger at Timoney for hunting down a whistle-blower.
It's not the first time Pichel has been at odds with his bosses. He was relieved of duty in April 2000 when the department investigated allegations he filed a false police report to help cover up the fatal beating of a prisoner. He was cleared later, after he won an appeal to the Civil Service Board.
Then in October 2001 he lost a whistle-blower's lawsuit against the city and former Chief William O'Brien, which claimed Pichel was targeted for retaliation after taking on a ''corrupt and violent'' gang of officers.
Timoney and Pichel's relationship dates back to 2003, when Pichel was relieved of duty after he was accused of providing The Miami Herald with an internal report that showed dozens of sexual assault investigations that had not been sent to the police lab for timely DNA analysis.
The alleged misconduct took place during the search for the alleged Shenandoah rapist.
Some commissioners, angered at the police department for disciplining a whistle-blower, ordered the city manager to hire an outsider to investigate.
A deal was later worked out in which Pichel retained his job. He is set to retire next month.
Regalado said Pichel was likely targeted because he was a ''rabble rouser'' who was always criticizing the chief.
Questioned about the charges, Timoney said Pichel's arrest was the first under his watch that involved illegal steroids.
At Wednesday's press conference, Rundle and Timoney outlined the timeline of the arrests and announced the arrest of weight-lifter Elvis Anthony Sicard, 29, Pichel's alleged co-conspirator. He faces similar charges.
Rundle and Timoney were flanked by several law enforcement officials. They included Joseph Centorino, the assistant state attorney in charge of public corruption, the two arresting detectives -- Bobby Navarro and Al Peņa -- and several of Timoney's aides.
Rundle called Pichel a ''highly visible personality in the city of Miami,'' who rubs elbows with city leaders.
According to Pichel's arrest affidavit, Miami police were notified March 7 by an informant that Pichel was dealing in illegal drugs.
The source said he knew Pichel from Gold's Gym in Coral Gables. He said he had purchased Cialis and steroids from Pichel in the past.
A taped call was made later that day to Pichel's cellphone, the warrant says, and a meeting was set up.
In the meantime, police obtained Pichel's phone records from Cingular Wireless.
After a series of calls, Pichel set up a meeting with the source for last Saturday. They met at Pichel's apartment, then drove to a pharmacy on Southwest Eighth Street and 7th Avenue to get the Cialis.
A short while later the source gave Pichel $340 for two bottles of testosterone and three Cialis pills. Tuesday, the affidavit says, the source drove to Kendall, where he picked up the drugs at Sicard's home.
Miami police spokesman Willie Moreno said Pichel -- even if convicted -- is likely to keep his pension because he didn't use his job to make extra money or further an alleged crime.
But State Attorney spokesman Ed Griffith said the city's pension board ultimately would decide the issue.
