FORT LAUDERDALE — A former Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy accused of forcing undocumented immigrants into sex acts while on the job has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of armed false imprisonment, 15 counts of battery and four counts of stalking, in a case which has spanned seven years and over a dozen potential defendants.

Thanks to a plea deal agreed to by the prosecution with defendant Jonathan Bleiweiss, 34, the most serious charges of sexual battery were dropped, resulting in a prison term of just five years, with 10 years probation. Bleiweiss will not be required to register as a sexual offender.

Bleiweiss became a Broward County deputy in 2001, and was recognized as Employee of the Year in his Oakland Park district in 2008. That same year, he was alleged to have begun to fondle undocumented immigrants who he had stopped for various traffic violations, and his picture was posted in an Oakland Park soup kitchen as a warning to immigrants to beware of the officer.

In August 2009, Bleiweiss was arrested for sexual battery as victims began to surface and the charges against him began to mount. At one point, he faced more that 70 charges, but the cases against Bleiweiss was a difficult one to prove,

“He was disgraceful and abused his power,” then-Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said at a news conference announcing Bleiweiss’ arrest.

Yet, the illegal immigrants were reluctant to testify against him, and various cases filed in state and federal court were either settled or dropped.

Meanwhile, Bleiweiss was free to move out of state, living in Oregon from 2010 to 2013, before eventually settling in San Francisco.

The lack of witnesses made prosecuting Bleiweiss nearly impossible. “They didn’t want to testify,” assistant state attorney Neva Smith said, speaking of the victims. “They wanted to put it behind them,” she told the Sun-Sentinel. “Most of those victims have since been deported,” Smith said.

“All the victims were consulted — the ones who were interested and available — but, at this point, after six years, it was the best and the most just and fair resolution that the state could come up with,” Smith said, referring to the plea bargain that resulted in Bleiweiss’ five year sentence at the hands of Broward Circuit Judge Michael Robinson, who also ordered him to serve 10 years of probation and to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation upon his release.

What makes this case especially disappointing for the prosecution is that their was no lack of evidence against Bleiweiss. Yet, their illegal immigration status would prove to be the prosecution’s undoing. Most were fearful of reprisal.

“I can understand that,” Smith said. “They are tired. They have been held hostage by this case for years. They have been tormented and teased in their community. They don’t want their faces on camera,” she said.

“He’ll get out,” attorney Alvin Entin said. “He’ll be able to live the rest of his life. And he’ll do so without the stain of being a sexual predator.”

For the Broward County sheriff’s department, however, the case of one-time deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss remains a blot on its reputation and a harsh lesson learned.

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