Dianne Ferreira appears in a mug shot. (Osceola County Sheriff’s Office)
A Florida police officer has been arrested in handcuffs and charged with stealing a dead man’s credit card information to buy fast food, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
St. Cloud police officer Dianne Ferreira, 25, is charged with theft of credit card information with intent to use, fraudulent use of a credit card over $200 and use of the personal identity card of a deceased person. His arrest was announced Tuesday at a joint press conference held by the OCSO and the SCPD.
“She was an officer, but she doesn’t deserve that title now,” St. Cloud Police Chief Doug Goerke said Wednesday.
According to the OCSO, an investigation showed that Ferreira was one of the officers who responded to a 911 call on April 3 about a man having difficulty breathing, but they arrived too late and found the ‘dead man.
On April 14, however, the man’s widow noticed his credit card was still active – with suspicious purchases beginning the day after he died. She then contacted the SCPD.
These fraudulent charges included seven fuel purchases, an order from Wendy and a hotel stay. Two attempts to charge the card were declined after the card was canceled – for another fuel purchase and at a salon that focuses on eyelash extensions, law enforcement said.
All of the charges were made at times when the defendant was not working and at businesses near her residence, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said.
“You know, as a law enforcement officer, it makes me sick and nauseous every time we have to do something like that,” Lopez said at the press conference. “But you know what? We treat them – like no other person. Everyone is held accountable for their actions.”
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Ferreira resigned after being questioned as part of the investigation. She joined the force in February 2022 and reportedly had no disciplinary history.
“I would like to offer my most sincere apologies to the victim of this horrific incident,” the police chief said at the press conference. “Taking advantage of a person in times of need is absolutely wrong. We engage the public on a daily basis to build trust and legitimacy in our agency. That being said, I have zero tolerance for officers who harm the community or violate its trust.
According to investigators, they first learned the make and model of the suspect’s vehicle and a description of the driver making the fraudulent purchases. Then they learned that Ferreira owned the vehicle and matched the description of the fraudster.
During an interview, the officer reportedly admitted to photographing the deceased’s credit card information and uploading it to mobile apps to make a series of purchases totaling approximately $450.
“The badge she wore has been tarnished and will never be worn again; in fact, it will be destroyed,” Goerke added. “I ask the state’s attorney to prosecute this to the fullest extent of the law.”
Ferreira was held in Osceola County Jail on $4,000 bond. A review of prison records shows that she quickly posted bond.
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