Suspects involved in high school football recruitment scheme
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested Port St. Lucie Police Sergeant Robert Vega, 48, and several others on multiple counts in a scheme to falsify records to allow high school football athletes to attend and compete for schools outside their residential boundaries.
In total, eight people were charged in the case. Five have been arrested and another three remain at large.
The eight were charged on counts of grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification information, perjury by false written declaration, perjury by false affidavit, and unlawful acts in relation to driver licenses.
The case was initiated in October 2022 when Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) Chief John Buldoc requested FDLE’s Fort Pierce Field Office investigate Sgt. Robert Vega and his brother, Assistant Chief William Vega, Jr., 50, regarding a scheme to recruit students from outside of the county to play on the Martin County High School football team.
An anonymous complaint alleged that the Vega brothers, who were volunteer coaches with the team, used the addresses of current and former PSLPD officers, as well as other homeowners who reside in Martin County, to fraudulently claim the students lived in the Martin County School District (MCSD) when they did not.
The investigation found that six parents: Nixalys Vega, 46; Jose Soto, 43; Jeron Atwater, 41; Lisa Stone, 47; Guilnar Saintelus, 40; and Nancy Davino, 48, filed fraudulent official documents with the MCSD, using forged and fraudulent lease agreements as proof of residency. They also changed their driver’s licenses to reflect these fraudulent addresses.
The following were arrested and booked into Martin County Jail on September 6:
- Sgt. Robert Vega of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with perjury by false written declaration and grand theft.
- Nixalys Vega of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, and grand theft.
- Jeron Atwater of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
- Lisa Stone of Fort Pierce
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
- Guilnar Saintelus of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
Arrest warrants were also filed for former Assistant Chief William Vega, Jose Soto, and Nancy Davino, pending arrest.
- Former Assistant Chief William Vega, Jr. of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and grand theft.
- Jose Soto of Port St. Lucie
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, and grand theft.
- Nancy Davino of Fort Pierce
- Charged with unlawful acts in relation to driver’s licenses, making false affidavit perjury, perjury by false written declaration, and grand theft.
The investigation is still active and ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 19th Judicial Circuit.
