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Features
Retiring Chief Revisits Career Highs And Lows
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
When Jane Castor decided to become a police officer, she had no idea what the future would hold. At the time, she had no idea of the legacy she would leave behind.
She began her career pa- trolling the streets of Tampa and rose through the ranks. In September 2009, she broke through the glass ceiling becom- ing the first woman to serve as the Chief of the Tampa Police Department.
Originally set to retire last year, she accepted when asked by Mayor Bob Buckhorn and signed a contract to lead the de- partment another year. Her of- ficial last day on the job was at the close of business on Friday, May 8th.
Looking back over her ca- reer, the most significant low would be the three police offi- cers killed in the line of duty on her watch.
She points to the reduction in crime, the relationship she has culled out with members of the community, business own- ers, and other officials.
She is also proud of opening a second RICH House in the Robles Park Public Housing
JANE CASTOR Retired Tampa Police Chief
Complex. And, a new gym at the Police Athletic League, among other programs.
When asked what she would miss the most in leaving the de- partment, Chief Castor said, “I will miss the day-to-day interac- tion. I love that, I love that part of the job that allowed me to get out and interact with citizens from different backgrounds.
“As you rise in the depart- ment, the further you rise, the less police work you actually do. I loved being able to talk with the officers and see what they are doing on a daily basis.”
But, she won’t miss the media. “I understand and ap- preciate that there are checks and balances, but, I won’t miss the undue criticism, especially of the officers who are just try- ing to do a good job.”
Chief Castor is responsible
for introducing a First Respon- der’s Post Trauma Training Pro- gram designed to help officers deal with traumatic situations, and the Young Adult Police Academy aimed at at-risk chil- dren.
She also oversaw large scale events such as the Republican National Convention, the Bolly- wood IIFA Awards, and Super Bowl XLIII.
A Tampa native, Chief Cas- tor graduated from the Univer- sity of Tampa with a B. S. degree in Criminology. She obtained her Master’s of Public Adminis- tration degree from Troy State University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Chief Castor’s plans for the future include the launching of the Police Foundation enti- tled Rise Tampa, as part of her legacy. The foundation is de- signed to begin where the City’s budget ends. It is a non-profit organization.
At 55, Chief Castor has al- ready moved on to other things. When asked about being the first chief, she said, “Being the Chief was an honor of a life- time.” And when asked if she would do it again, she said, “Yes, I would. It was tough at times, but overall, it was infinitely worth it.”
Woman Gets 5 Years For Identity Theft In Tax Fraud Case
A 27-year-old Tampa woman was sentenced to five years in prison last week. She had pleaded guilty to several crimes on December 2, 2014.
According to federal court documents, U. S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernan- dez Covington sentenced Ms. Rosa Moultry Martin on the charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft last Friday. The Court also or- dered Ms. Martin to forfeit $153,219 and two luxury vehi- cles, which were traceable to the crime.
Officials said that in May 2012, postal employees at the New Tampa Post Office re- ported that several pieces of mail were scheduled to be de- livered to Ms. Martin’s ad- dress. The mail bore the label of “Turbo Tax” and was ad- dressed to at least 10 different individuals.
On June 7, 2012, investiga- tors made a controlled delivery of two of the envelopes to Ms. Martin’s curbside mailbox. The envelopes, which con- tained prepaid debit cards were addressed to two different indi- viduals, and neither of those individuals lived at the address. The prepaid cards were each loaded with $9,919, which had been obtained through the fil- ing of false income tax refunds.
Further investigation re- vealed that one of the cards was opened using the actual date of birth and social security num- ber of one of the victims. On June 7, 2012, the card was used to make three simultaneous cash withdrawals totaling $1,000, at an ATM in Zephyrhills. Ms. Martin was reportedly videoed making the transactions. She also made additional withdrawals using another reloadable card con- taining a fraudulently obtained tax refund, officials said.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Ms. Mar- tin’s home on June 26, 2012,
ROSA MOULTRY MARTIN
and seized evidence that in- cluded a laptop and a desktop computer, more than 50 pre- paid debit cards issued in other names, printouts from a ge- nealogy website containing personal identifiable informa- tion, and several ledgers con- taining personal identifiable information, account informa- tion, passwords, and email ad- dresses.
The search also led officials to recover receipts for money orders that had been pur- chased with fraudulently ob- tained tax refunds. The cards were used by Ms. Martin to pay her rent and other items.
A further search of Ms. Martin, her husband, and her vehicle revealed several items, including an iPad, a tablet, cell phones, and approximately $25,000 in jewelry.
When officials examined the computers forensically, they discovered they had been used to search for tax-related websites and the personal iden- tifiable information of at least 20 people.
Officials believe Ms. Mar- tin used the personal identities of at least 76 people to file fraudulent income tax returns. Investigators determined that Ms. Martin, working alone and with others, made false claims for refunds totaling ap- proximately $641,754 and re- ceived approximately $153,219, of which she was not entitled.
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