Just before Broward Sheriff Scott Israel took office, BSO employees apparently destroyed former sheriff Al Lamberti's workplace computer with a hammer. This, according to a newly released internal affairs report.
According to the investigation, there was no evidence that Lamberti ordered the destruction of the computer, but the BSO web developer was told by a sergeant to destroy the hard drive.
Sgt. Don Prichard told investigators he was advised by Lamberti to have the hard drive wiped clean.
According to Prichard, the hard drive contained emails and calendar events, as far as he knew. He also told them he never looked at the hard drive's contents. Prichard had instructed BSO website developer Anthony Petruzzi to make copies of the hard drive and then wipe it clean.
Petruzzi himself claimed he did not remember who ordered him to destroy the hard drive, but he did admit no one told him to take a hammer to it.
Still, Petruzzi said that he wanted to make sure the job got done and that wiping hard drives is not a reliable way to delete everything.
Petruzzi said a senior technical analyst, Omar Battista, helped out by smashing the hard drive with a hammer. Battista sliced his hand in the process. There was blood found on pieces of the hard drive, according to the investigation.
The remainder of the investigation is a bit garbled, with Prichard offering to show investigators copies that were made from the hard drive that turned out to not exist. He walked investigators into an archives room and pulled out a box labeled with Lamberti's name. But all that was found inside the box was one CD with copies of emails addressed to Lamberti.
Prichard had claimed there were four copies made onto disks and said he doesn't know what became of the discs.
BSO technical support employee Patrick Giordano told investigators there were some copies made, corroborating Prichard's claims.
For now, investigators have found no evidence of any laws being broken, and the case has been placed on "pending inactive" until, or unless, evidence surfaces that shows a crime was committed.
Just another wacky, shady day at the BSO.
ia by Chris Joseph
