SEX SCANDAL III - March 14, 2003
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is responding to accusations that it covered up a sex scandal. The allegations came from a Tampa Police Detective who talked EXCLUSIVELY with Investigative Reporter Glenn Selig.
The Florida Department
of Law Enforcement

It comes down to who's telling the truth: A veteran police detective with 19 years on the job, or Florida's highest law enforcement agency: the FDLE.

Tampa Det. Dale "Chip" DeBlock says he knows what really happened. He gave two FDLE agents evidence of a sex scandal, case fixing and mob influence at the Hillsborough County State Attorney's office. But he says the agents who took his information ignored it. And later even said they never got it.
Tampa Det. Dale "Chip" DeBlock talks EXCLUSIVELY with Glenn Selig
"Had I done the things the FDLE did to me," Det. DeBlock tells Investigative Reporter Glenn Selig in an EXCLUSIVE interview, "I minimally would be out of a job and perhaps be facing criminal prosecution."

Det. DeBlock first told his story in a FOX13 EXCLUSIVE report that aired in November. He says he came across the information while investigating Tampa's underground sex industry. But after he came forward with the information and gave it to FDLE, Tampa police reassigned him. He's filed a lawsuit against the Tampa Police Department claiming it was retribution for trying to expose corrupt government officials. He says his own department betrayed him, and so did FDLE.

FDLE supervisor Charles Guthrie
When we first reported this story, FDLE denied even receiving information from Det. DeBlock. But after our investigation aired, FDLE launched an Internal Inquiry. The purpose: to determine whether the two agents named by DeBlock, corruption unit supervisor Charles Guthrie and agent Scott Peterka did anything wrong.

And now we have FDLE's answer. In the Internal Inquiry report, the two agents admit they got DeBlock's information. Turns out it was in a "file folder containing miscellaneous documents." But the report also says, "FDLE personnel... did not destroy or misplace any information delivered by Det. DeBlock." And concludes that DeBlock's allegations of a cover-up are "unfounded."

There are some obvious questions this report doesn't answer. Now that agents admit they got leads about corruption from DeBlock, why didn't they believe they were worthy of investigating? No one at FDLE was willing to talk on camera.

They agreed to meet with Glenn Selig privately.

Tampa PD Headquarters
During that meeting, which was attended by Tampa FDLE Director Lance Newman, the FDLE officials told Glenn the notes DeBlock submitted were not important evidence; so insignificant, agents didn't even label them 'evidence." And that DeBlock is making the claims against FDLE to help him win his lawsuit against the City of Tampa and TPD.

DeBlock says none of it's true. And as a detective, he knows he gave agents information that might've put some powerful people behind bars. He wants an independent agency to investigate the FDLE.

"Obviously someone's not telling the truth here," says DeBlock, "And someone needs to be held accountable."