WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. – Two Hialeah police officers have been arrested for allegedly writing fake traffic tickets.

Armando Perez and Ernesto Arias-Martinez have been charged with official misconduct and falsifying public records.

Perez faces five counts of each while Arias-Martinez faces four counts of each.

State Attorney Katherine Hernandez Rundle said in a statement, “When police officers create false traffic tickets, as we are alleging happened here, they damage the reputation of their own department and the reputations of every police officer working to serve our Miami-Dade community.”

The victims of the alleged false tickets received multiple traffic citations without ever knowing they had committed a traffic violation.

On Feb. 13, 2020, one victim officially received 18 citations. The following day, he received an additional six.

He said he never actually got a physical citation and he started getting mail about legal representation for traffic court.

He said he called Hialeah Police to figure out what was going on which led to this discovery.

During the investigation, officials said they found another eight victims with similar stories.

The Hialeah Police Chief said the two officers will immediately be terminated and stripped of all their police duties.