Indictment details fall of two TPD officers

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Rita Girven was a confidential informant for the Tampa Police Department and she bragged about it in jailhouse calls.

"I think my relationship with Sgt. Haggard is even closer then me and Eric Houston throughout the years," said Girven.

Trouble followed Girven who was in and out of jail for a number of crimes.

But it's her cozy relationship with two now-disgraced Tampa police officers, Detective Eric Houston and his wife, Sgt. Lajoyce Houston, that may cost them more then just their jobs.

The Houstons could be facing prison time.  They were just indicted on tax fraud.

Court documents show the Houstons stole over $200,000 in a tax return scheme involving
Rita Girven.

There is video of the Houstons shopping at Walmart with the cash. The indictment says they used the money to pay credit cards off and for pool services.

Girven wasn't shy about sharing how easy it was to get favors from her TPD connections.

"They would give me money. They would pay my bills. They'd help me pay rent. They would do whatever they could to keep me from getting in trouble," Girven said.

According to the documents, Girven was at the center of the scam.

Investigators say she would drive around town looking for old drivers and take down license plate information. Their information would then be looked up on  the police database, and a fraudulent tax return would be filed.

Girven ends her jailhouse chat by suggesting the corruption at TPD goes far beyond the Houstons.

"If I had committed any crime or involved myself in tax fraud, it is over 300 Tampa police officers sworn in, that I've dealt with. That I'm very close enough to get information from.  It don't have to be Eric Houston. It don't have to be Lajoyce Houston. There are plenty of other people that need to be investigated from Tampa Police, other then the ones they're looking at," Girven added.