According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Former St. Cloud police officer Michael Adrian Nieto recently admitted to federal charges of dealing firearms without a license and previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. These charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
On October 17, 2024, agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) executed a search warrant at Nieto’s home, where they seized 12 firearms from his possession. During the search, Nieto confessed to law enforcement that he had been selling firearms to individuals on the Florida Gun Trader website, including Ernesto Vazquez, a key player in a criminal network involved in smuggling firearms to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. Nieto knowingly sold these firearms with the understanding that they would be transferred to third parties and even received illegal items, such as a machine gun conversion device, from Vazquez.
According to the plea agreement, Nieto purchased at least 58 firearms. Nieto later explained that he was a gun enthusiast and collector who worked part-time at a firearms store and began buying and reselling guns for profit in November 2023. Since June 2022, he bought 58 guns and sold around 30 of them, making approximately $7,500 in profit through sales on Florida Gun Trader, to his family, other police officers, and others. Nieto also allegedly used his access to police databases to provide confidential information to Vazquez.
A spokesperson for the St. Cloud Police Department (SCPD) stated that Nieto, who had been with the department for less than two years, resigned immediately after the federal charges were filed, rather than facing termination. At one point, he had served as a school resource officer at St. Cloud High School.
St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke issued a statement confirming that the department had worked closely with the Department of Justice during the investigation and that SCPD was conducting its own thorough inquiry into the matter. “In light of the DOJ’s findings, we are taking immediate steps to address the situation,” Goerke said. “SCPD is committed to ensuring that any officer who betrays the public’s trust will face appropriate consequences, regardless of their rank or time with the department.”
Nieto’s sentencing for the federal charge is scheduled for March 25.
