Port St. Lucie - Thursday September 7, 2023: The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has charged Port St. Lucie Police (PSLPD) Sgt. Robert Vega, and his brother former PSLPD Assistant Chief William Vega, along with six other people, in an alleged scheme to falsify records to allow high school football athletes to attend and compete for schools outside their residential boundaries.
In all, eight people have been charged in the case. They're facing accusations of grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification information, perjury by false written declaration, perjury by false affidavit, and unlawful acts in relation to driver licenses.
Five of the accused have been arrested and another three remain at large.
48-year-old Sgt. Robert Vega turned himself into the Martin County jail Wednesday night after he learned that FDLE had obtained a warrant for his arrest. Sgt. Vega has been on administrative leave with pay since September 2022. A Thursday news release from the Department states that he "will now be placed on administrative leave without pay following his arrest and pending an internal investigation."
Sgt. Vega's brother, 50-year-old former PSLPD Assistant Chief William Vega, retired effective May 31 this year. He has not yet been arrested.
FDLE began their investigation in October of last year after Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) Chief John Buldoc asked FDLE’s Fort Pierce Field Office to investigate Sgt. Vega and his brother, Assistant Chief William Vega, regarding a scheme to recruit students from outside of the county to play on the Martin County High School football team.
The Vega brothers were volunteer coaches with the team. An anonymous complaint sent to the PSL Police Department alleged that they used the addresses of current and former PSLPD officers, as well as other homeowners who reside in Martin County, to fraudulently claim the students lived in the Martin County School District (MCSD) when they did not.
The investigation found that six parents: Nixalys Vega, 46; Jose Soto, 43; Jeron Atwater, 41; Lisa Stone, 47; Guilnar Saintelus, 40; and Nancy Davino, 48, filed fraudulent official documents with the MCSD, using forged and fraudulent lease agreements as proof of residency. They also changed their driver’s licenses to reflect these fraudulent addresses.
The following were arrested and booked into Martin County Jail on September 6:
- Sgt. Robert Vega of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with perjury by false written declaration and grand theft.
- Nixalys Vega of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, and grand theft.
- Jeron Atwater of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
- Lisa Stone of Fort Pierce
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
- Guilnar Saintelus of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
Arrest warrants were also filed for former Assistant Chief William Vega, Jose Soto, and Nancy Davino, pending arrest.
- Former Assistant Chief William Vega, Jr. of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
- Jose Soto of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, and grand theft.
- Nancy Davino of Fort Pierce
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, and grand theft.
The investigation is still active and ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 19th Judicial Circuit.