Security Guard at Miami ICE Facility Arrested for Stealing $5,382 From Detainee

Authorities arrested a security officer at a Miami-area Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center after discovering he had taken money from a detainee, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office records. The incident occurred at the Krome Service Processing Center, situated at 18201 SW 12th St., when deputies responded to a theft report on Monday afternoon.

A detainee notified facility staff that $5,382 was missing while deportation paperwork was being prepared, prompting an investigation. Deputies reviewed surveillance video that captured Matthew Christian Torres, 31, a security guard working for Akima Protective Services, placing the money in a logbook before concealing it in his black jacket and entering an employee restroom.

The footage showed Torres returning to a common area, retrieving a clear plastic bag containing the cash from his chest, and transferring it to the right pocket of his beige cargo pants, according to the arrest report. Authorities noted that Torres never reported the detainee’s money to a supervisor.

Torres, from Palmetto Bay, was taken into custody on a third-degree grand theft charge. He remained held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,500 bond as of Tuesday morning. ICE and Akima Protective Services have been contacted for comment.