Three individuals, two active and one former officer from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), are facing serious legal troubles amid accusations of misappropriating more than $33,000 through fraudulent overtime claims, as revealed by Sheriff T.K. Waters.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a press briefing held on Thursday, Sheriff Waters disclosed that Sgt. Michael Rourke, Officer Christopher Sosa, and former Officer Dylan Bostick have been charged with grand theft, organized fraud, and official misconduct. These charges, stemming from their alleged overtime abuse, are categorized as third-degree felonies.
The investigation prompted the suspension of Rourke and Sosa back in March 2026, while Bostick had already resigned from his position. The JSO is now pursuing the termination of Rourke and Sosa due to the severity of the allegations.
This crackdown follows the arrest of Officer Christian Madsen, who was accused of falsely claiming over 200 hours of overtime and illicitly obtaining approximately $14,000, sourced from both the City of Jacksonville and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) grant reimbursements.
Madsen’s case uncovered a broader issue, prompting further investigation into the Motor Unit. This probe revealed that Rourke, Sosa, and Bostick also submitted fraudulent claims for overtime related to traffic assignments, resulting in their current legal predicaments.
JSO said Madsen’s arrest led to a larger investigation into overpayments made to officers on the Motor Unit where it was discovered Rourke, Sosa, and Bostick all wrongfully submitted claims for compensation for overtime traffic assignments.
Rourke received more than $4,600 in public funds from Dec. 1, 2025 to Feb. 7, 2026. Sosa received more than $10,700 in public funds from Dec. 9, 2025 to Jan. 23, 2026. Bostick received more than $18,000 in public funds from Dec. 1, 2025 to Feb. 23, 2026.
According to the officers’ arrest reports, all three were on overtime assignments funded through the Florida Department of Transportation Pedestrian Bicycle Safety Grant which were monitored through FDOT’s iPass system. The arrest report states these assignments required the officers to remain in a specific traffic corridor while conducting enforcement.
Investigators used cellphone data to corroborate whether they were in their assigned corridors during the hours they were clocking the overtime according to the reports. They also checked radio transmission logs and Body-Warn Camera activity.
“No one is above the law, and our officers and employees will be held to the highest standards, which the public deserves,” Waters said.
Waters said officers must get their overtime approved by a supervisor, but there was a ‘breakdown’ in this unit. The supervisor over the officers, Sgt. Clayton Plank, is leaving the agency, but is not under investigation. Waters said he is disappointed in Plank for not doing his job.
“In any business, when you find things that should not be happening, you adjust. You will, and you establish policies and you hold supervisors accountable to make sure that we don’t allow this to happen again,” Waters explained.
Waters said officers will now have to report to an on-duty supervisor and that supervisor will have to physically lay eyes on them.
JSO began receiving the FDOT grant in November 2025. Waters could not say how much of the money reportedly clocked in fraudulent overtime came from the grant, but he confirmed whatever was taken would need to be paid back.
First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Mark Baughman weighed in on the arrests. He said incidents like these erode public trust.
“These officers, they’re never gonna work in police work again. They’re liars. They’ve committed theft. They’ve taken a sworn oath to serve and protect, and they’ve done neither. They’ve served themselves is what they did, and by doing that it creates a public trust issue,” Baughman said.
JSO Integrity Unit detectives do not anticipate additional arrests stemming from traffic overtime misconduct.
