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Former Tampa police chief's husband under investigation
Evan Axelbank reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Keith O'Connor, Tampa's code enforcement director and the husband of former Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor, has a long history with the employee whose criminal charges sparked an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
What we know:
O'Connor was suspended with pay after FDLE began an investigation into whether he improperly collected lottery winnings for employee Aubrey Pierce.
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Pierce has a checkered past, that includes numerous charges like grand theft, battery on a pregnant woman and fleeing from law enforcement. In 2013, grand theft charges landed him a decade-long sentence.
But in February 2014, documents show the court set aside the sentence, because the original sentencing guidelines weren't followed by the court.
Ten months later, Pierce complained in a handwritten letter to a judge that he hadn't been let out yet, and at the end reassured the judge, "if I am released soon, I have a good job waiting on me with the City of Tampa, thanks to the help of Maj. Keith O'Connor of TPD."
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What they're saying:
O'Connor's attorney, Ralph Fernandez, said they have known each other for decades. They had a, "personal and professional relationship," according to Fernandez.
That relationship burst into public view last week when it was revealed that an investigation into Pierce accepting bribes while working at a City of Tampa solid waste facility led to the discovery of unrelated text messages to Keith O'Connor.
Pictured: Keith O'Connor with his wife, Mary O'Connor, when she was first sworn in as Tampa police chief.
Numerous sources said those texts showed Pierce urging O'Connor to cash in a $25,000 lotto ticket Pierce won. Sources said it's because Pierce owed tens of thousands more in child support, and wanted to hide the winnings from the court system.
That's why FDLE is investigating Keith O'Connor.
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Fernandez calls it a witch hunt.
"It's one of the favorite targets of everyone, it seems, in the last few years," said Fernandez.
Dig deeper:
Nine years after he was let out of jail, Pierce did land the job with the city. But why would O'Connor – who is a former deputy chief for TPD – push for someone to be hired who has such a spotty history?
O'Connor's attorney said he felt Pierce's life was "salvageable."
Indeed, in 2014, O'Connor wrote to the judge that he had known Pierce since he was 12, when he pointed out a stolen car that was dumped in the neighborhood. O'Connor said in the email he suggested that he apply with the clean city division as he could be hired with a felony record.
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Pictured: Aubrey Pierce.
O'Connor said he was not selected because of his probation status, but was cleared to be hired at the end of his probation. The email said at the time, "Pierce was devastated because he was so excited to be getting a real job."
A city spokesperson said in rare cases, when there is an applicant with background issues, several senior employees, as in the case of Pierce, review the application. In this case, that group included the heads of human resources, Chief of Staff John Bennett, and indeed, Keith O'Connor.
He was hired by the city in 2023.
On Pierce's hiring, the City of Tampa said, "Ensuring everyone has a fair opportunity to get a job based on their qualifications, rather than being immediately disqualified for a mistake made many years ago, is a calculated risk – as is any hiring decision."
"Not every situation will work out perfectly, but when we give second chances, we give people the opportunity to contribute, provide for their families, and strengthen our community," the statement said.
The backstory:
O'Connor's attorney said his clients have become a target over the years. He's referring to another incident that saw O'Connor's wife, former Tampa police chief Mary O'Connor, resign her position after an outcry over a golf cart traffic stop.
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At the time, she and her husband were riding a golf cart when they were pulled over by a Pinellas County deputy. She flashed her badge during the traffic stop and asked for the deputy to let them go that night, and he did.
No charges have been filed against O'Connor in the case of the lottery text messages.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evan Axelbank.