CMPD employee arrested and charged with embezzlement, will be fired, police say
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department employee was arrested and charged with embezzlement Thursday, police said.
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Wilson Rivera Espinosa was a safety specialist in CMPD’s passenger vehicle for hire unit, which administers and enforces city regulations involving the licensing, inspection and operation of passenger vehicles for hire in Charlotte.
“A routine supervisory review revealed inconsistencies in payment receipt documentation submitted by Wilson Rivera Espinosa,” according to a CMPD news release.
That led to a criminal investigation Tuesday by CMPD’s financial crimes unit and River Espinosa’s immediate reassignment “to non-public-facing duties” pending the outcome, police said.
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Police are not saying how much money they believe was embezzled.
After his arrest, Rivera Espinosa was put on administrative leave without pay, according to CMPD. Formal termination proceedings have begun per department policies and procedures, police said.
“The operations of the PVH program were never impacted by this incident,” according to the news release. “At no point was any customer denied or prevented from receiving PVH services as a result of this incident.”
CMPD hired Rivera Espinosa on March 3, 2025.
Police asked that anyone with information about the case call the financial crimes unit at 704-432-3906 or the Charlotte Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 704-334-1600.
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