CLEVELAND – A police officer has been charged with illegally using an Ohio state law enforcement database while running his private security company off-duty, according to Cleveland.com.
Officer Theodore Perez, a 20-year veteran of the Cleveland Police Department, faces dozens of charges of grand theft, tax fraud, operating a business without a license and 21 counts of unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway database.
The charges stem from an internal investigation by Cleveland police after Perez failed to pay $113,000 in sales taxes for his security business, Precision Security Agency, LLC.
His company provides armed and unarmed security guards and teaches concealed weapons carrying courses.
The sister of Officer Perez, Melissa Perez, is also charged with 11 counts of illegally accessing the database between June 2013 and June 2016.
Prosecutors said both Theodore and Melissa Perez repeatedly accessed the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway database to conduct unauthorized background checks for the company.
Perez also continued to operate his security business after his vendors license was suspended.
Both siblings are scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 7.
