The tag agency story, what do you guys think?

Now that we've gotten through most of the Airways Tag Agency story, what do you guys think?  Here's what we do know...

• According to the arrest affidavit, between 12/3/2010 and 12/20/2010 there was approximately 20 transactions whose proceeds equaled $15,168.83
• Days after the transactions were processed they were cancelled in the tag agency's internal accounting system
• Once said transactions were cancelled, the proceeds disappeared creating huge shortages in the funds that the tag agency owed the state both in taxes collected and in title and tag fees.
• Three tellers who worked at the tag agency were arrested and accused of stealing the funds.

So those are the incontrovertible facts.  We know the transactions occurred, then were cancelled therefore leaving the tag agency owing the state tens of thousands of dollars.  After interviewing the tellers for an hour or so, Detective Jorge Baluja of the MDPD decided that the three tellers were at fault and subsequently arrested them.  Simple.


Here's where things start getting a little complicated, once again these are incontrovertible facts as well...

• The tag agency strictly monitors the tellers cash drawers both at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day.
• The tag agency also strictly monitors the tellers inventory of license plates, blank registration decals as well as blank titles.
• A quick look inside the tag agency will reveal a number of security cameras that monitor each teller.
• The tag agency has a manager that is constantly hovering over each of the tellers.
• Last but not least, almost all of the larger transactions (over $1,000) are paid for with company checks.

Now, with that in mind, how can we be expected to believe someone at the teller level could possibly make away with nearly ten thousand dollars of proceeds from these transactions?  As we said before, the one thing that we know for sure is at the end of the day there was a huge negative balance in the tag agency, that much we can't get around, but what better way to justify this negative balance than by arresting someone or in this case three people?  From what I'm told, the transactions mentioned in the arrest affidavit represented only a small portion of the actual alleged thefts, I've heard that the amount of money actually missing was much more than what the police reported.  Perhaps this comment from yesterday's blog post will add a little clarity to what we're trying to say...

IS FUNNY HOW ALL THAT MONEY GETS LOST AND THEY DONT NOTICE THE SAME DAY? HOLD ON ONE SECOND, BUT TO MY UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU FINISH WITH THE DAY AS A CASHIER YOU TAKE ALL THE MONEY AND A REPORT TO ACCOUNTING HOW IN THE HELL THEY STOLE ALL THAT MONEY REALLY JAJAJAJAJJA ONLY A STUPID PERSON WILL BELIEVE THAT, ONE OF THE CASHIERS STOLE THE MONEY THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL AND SPECIALLY A TAG AGENCY THAT HAS CAMERAS JAJAJJA I HOPE WHOM EVER IS BEHIND THIS WHOLE SKEEM THAT APARENTLY IS AN INSIDE JOB OF A DIRTY ASS COP GETS WHAT THEY DESERVE .....WOW IS GREAT TO BE A CRIMINAL AND ALSO WEAR A BADGE BUT BEHIND EVERY DIRTY JOB IS A CUBAN HIDDING

Now, I don't know much about the Cuban cop thing, but the rest of the comment does ring true and basically reiterates what we've been saying all along although I have to admit, I have no idea what "JAJAJJA" means.  

So what do I think happened?  For what it's worth, here's my theory of the case; perhaps one of the principals of the tag agency or maybe someone in management or perhaps whoever is looking after the books figures out a way to skim a little money from this little tag agency, once they perfect the skim, the get a little greedy and start taking more and more.  Once the scheme is revealed, they go ahead and blame the people lowest on the totem pole, the people least able to defend themselves, the most vulnerable of the bunch, the tellers.  Perhaps at this point, a few favors are called in and they're able to get a cop to investigate that's sympathetic to the owners plight.  Think about that for a second, wouldn't you prefer to have a cop that's investigating your business that's a friend or a friend of a friend that is more inclined to believe your story versus a total stranger?  Maybe even a lazy incompetent cop that's willing to buy your whole story, hook line and sinker without doing any investigating on their own?  In case there's any doubt that Detective Baluja is just that type of cop, go back and read Matt Meltzer's story from Miami Beach 411 regarding the good detective and his investigative skills.  To me that's just the kind of detective you'd want in a situation like this.


What do you guys think?  Mull it over then tomorrow we'll make the link that will probably make the whole story make sense.