Former Opa Locka City Manager Sentenced to 38 months in Prison for Participating in Corruption Conspiracy

The former Opa Locka City Manager was sentenced to over three years in federal prison for accepting bribes in furtherance of an illegal municipal corruption scheme.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement. 

David Chiverton previously pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy against the laws of the United States, that is, Federal programs bribery and extortion under color of official right, in connection with his official duties as Opa Locka’s Assistant City Manager, and subsequently as City Manager, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.  U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced Chiverton to 38 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release to include 8 months of home detention.  Chiverton was also ordered to forfeit $7,600 to the United States.

According to the court record and statements made in open court, between March 2014 and March 2016, Chiverton agreed with an unnamed Opa Locka elected official (“Public Official A”), former Opa Locka Assistant Public Works Director Gregory Harris, and others, to use their official positions and authority with the City of Opa Locka to solicit, demand, and obtain thousands of dollars in illegal cash payments from businesses and individuals in exchange for taking official actions to assist and benefit those businesses and individuals in their dealings with the City of Opa Locka.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force.  This case was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Edward Stamm and Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Selmore.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.