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Court clerk charged with divorce scam

MIAMI, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A court clerk in South Florida has been charged with fraud and unlawful compensation for cheating couples seeking quick divorces.

Olga Avila, who had been employed in the courts in Miami-Dade for 16 years, allegedly charged couples $670, promising them speedy divorces. She then allegedly used a Self Help program set up by the courts for their paperwork, used connections to get the couples quick hearings, paid $364 in fees and kept the rest of the money, the Miami Herald reported.

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Investigators said they have found at least four couples she cheated and at least one of the divorces has since been vacated.

''No court employees can be allowed to lie and sell their positions of trust,'' State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said.

Avila has been fired from her job and could lose her government pension if found guilty of the charges, the Herald said.

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