Arrest Warrant Issued Following OALE Investigation of Potential Veterinary Inspection Certificate Fraud

Tallahassee, Fla. — This week, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) has announced that an arrest warrant has been issued following an investigation into the fraudulent use of a veterinary health certificate. On March 16, 2021, OALE investigators obtained an active arrest warrant for Michael Echevarria Torres.

“By ensuring the health and safety of our horses, FDACS is supporting Florida’s $6.8 billion horse industry, the third largest in the United States,” said Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Home to the Horse Capital of the World, we take equine movement requirements seriously. I thank our Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement investigators for working swiftly to prevent the fraudulent use of these veterinary health certificates.”

Timeline and background information:

January 7, 2021: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, Bureau of Uniform Services Officers encountered the defendant, Michael Echevarria Torres, while conducting an inspection of a load of four horses at Inspection Station 16 B in Yulee, Nassau County, Florida. Officers observed that the health certificate provided by Torres appeared to have been altered. Officers contacted the issuing veterinarian who confirmed that another horse had been added to the health certificate without her permission.

January 8, 2021: The incident was forwarded to the Criminal Investigative Section for investigation. Investigators determined that Torres was present at the time the veterinarian was examining three horses for the issuance of a health certificate. Torres requested the veterinarian to include a fourth horse on the health certificate. The veterinarian refused as the fourth horse did not have a valid Equine Infectious Anemia test at the time, as required by Florida Law.

March 16, 2021: The investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Torres charging him with one felony count of knowingly possess, use, presents or utters, any forged, counterfeited, altered or simulated official certificate of veterinary inspection, in violation of §585.145(3), and one felony count of criminal use of personal identification information, in violation of §817.568(2)(a). Bond was set at $5,004.00.

Defendant information:

Defendant: Michael Echevarria Torres, H/M DOB: 10-05-1988, Orlando, Florida 32820

Charges: 

• §585.145(3) knowingly possess, use, presents or utters, any forged, counterfeited, altered or simulated official certificate of veterinary inspection
• §817.568(2)(a) Criminal use of personal identification information.

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