A former Phoenix police officer will serve 18 months of supervised probation after pleading guilty to two felonies related to his actions in collecting paychecks from a state agency without doing the work.
Carl R. Ramirez was sentenced to probation Aug. 24 for convictions of theft and attempted fraud schemes involving his dual employment by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) and the Phoenix Police Department (PPD).
According to court records, Ramirez accepted a job with DES in March 2020 as a full-time Senior Investigator on a teleworking basis. Then in August of that year, Ramirez returned to work as a Phoenix police officer, a position from which he previously retired.
“A review of time cards and payroll records revealed his in-person shift with PPD overlapped with his Monday-Thursday teleworking shift for DES,” according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. “Ramirez collected full-time pay from both agencies for seven weeks, but completed full-time work for PPD only”
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) board initiated proceeding against Ramirez’s certification in October 2020 due to alleged misconduct. Then in June 2021, a grand jury indicted Ramirez, now 52, following a DES investigation.
A plea deal accepted by Judge Howard Sukenic in December stipulated to the probation term. It is unclear why it took nine months for the case to proceed to sentencing.
Ramirez must also serve 90 days in the Maricopa County jail starting in February 2023. He may not serve house arrest in place of being in jail.
Another provision of the plea deal required Ramirez to relinquish his peace officer certification which he did in March 2022. He must pay DES restitution in the amount of $7,352.13 and a $5,000 fine to the attorney general’s anti-racketeering revolving fund.
At sentencing, Ramirez and his attorney unsuccessfully argued to revise the plea agreement to make his two Class 6 felonies undesignated. This would have allowed Ramirez to have the convictions designated down to misdemeanors upon successful completion of this sentencing.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Victoria Baldner.
