A Miami-Dade police detective stole $1,300 during a drug bust. A judge spared him prison

Armando Socarras, a former Miami-Dade narcotics detective busted for pocketing $1,300 in cash during a drug sting in 2016, finally went to trial — but after one day of testimony, he abruptly accepted responsibility and pleaded no contest.

But despite prosecutors calling for a year in prison and a felony to be on his record, a Miami-Dade judge spared him both.

Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez on Monday sentenced Socarras to 24 months of probation, 100 hours of community service and an anti-theft course. She also granted him a “withhold of adjudication,” which means the felony conviction won’t show on his record.

Now, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement must decide whether to yank his law-enforcement credential.

Socarras, 36, was busted back in 2016, as corruption investigators were probing the conduct of another narcotics detective who was suspected of ripping off dealers during stings.

Socarras had chosen a “bench trial,” meaning his case was heard solely by Tinkler Mendez, not a jury. Testimony was held Friday, closing arguments Monday. But before the judge could hand down a verdict, Socarras changed course and pleaded no contest.

His defense attorney, Ed Martinez, argued that under changes in Florida law since his arrest, the amount of money stolen would only have amounted to a misdemeanor, not a felony.

“He avoided the potential for this being a prison sentence,” Martinez said of the change of plea. “This was fair. He’d never committed a crime before. He’s not going to commit a crime again. He accepted responsibility. The justice system is supposed to be about rehabilitation.”

The trial took seven years to go to trial because of pandemic closures and drawn-out legal battles over whether his multiple statements to police were admissible at trial. In the end, two were.

The judge heard that FDLE set up a sting in which a state agent posed as a drug dealer holed up in an motel in Homestead in February 2016. Inside the room — which was outfitted with a hidden video camera — were two pounds of the marijuana, 137.3 grams of powder cocaine and $14,314 in cash. The bills were marked, so they could be traced later.

The undercover agent also had $3,113 in cash in his pocket, along with two baggies of cocaine. The Miami-Dade narcotics squad busted the supposed drug dealer, writing a bogus search warrant to justify the seizing of the drugs, the judge heard.

Agents realized that $1,300 had gone missing — and it was found inside the sunglasses holder of Socarras’ car. He later admitted he’d taken the cash.

“When I was debating it, you know, I thought about, you know, my fiance is unemployed, and we’re struggling, and mainly for my kid’s daycare, which is $170 a week, and I pay the mortgage,” Socarras said in an interview with Miami-Dade’s internal affairs bureau.