THE REAL GREGORY TONY-PART 2 – JP

RON DESANTIS’ BIGGEST MISTAKE

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This is the second installment of a seven-part investigative series into Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony, a man who built his career on lies, violence, and manipulation. The series charts Tony’s misdeeds from the streets of Philadelphia to the most powerful political office in South Florida.

THE REAL GREGORY TONY-PART 1

“I get shot at for a living, unlike someone who’s going to a driver’s license examination.” – Sheriff Gregory Tony

Sonia Colon grew up only houses away from Greg Tony in the Badlands of Philadelphia. She has been his friend and confidant since childhood. But more than a friend, she’s been a romantic companion and strategic ally.

Colon’s relationship with Tony has proved fortuitous. It’s a resource he has repeatedly exploited.

You see, Tony’s problems did not end following the death of Hector Rodriguez, whose murder he was acquitted of. By 1994, Tony was placed on adult probation for traffic violations that weren’t resolved until 2001. In addition, Tony’s license was suspended for five separate cases in January 1998.

As his legal troubles accumulated, Tony fled South with Colon, who leveraged her position at the Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to assist him. The pair shared an apartment near Florida State University, where Tony was a student. In 2000, he was stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol officer in Liberty County, a short distance from Tallahassee. Tony presented an expired Pennsylvania license alongside a DHSMV-issued identification card. County officials demanded proof of valid driving credentials.

Tony never complied—he couldn’t. He was still driving on a suspended license.

Throughout these mounting legal troubles, Tony had Colon by his side. She secured a DHSMV position for him and later served as a character reference and a notary on his application to the Coral Springs Florida Police Department.

Yet, she couldn’t protect Tony from himself. Despite all of Colon’s help to straighten out his life, Tony continued to lie to get ahead or skirt trouble.

Despite his extensive knowledge about motor vehicle law from working at the DHSMV, a 2020 Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigation uncovered that Tony had submitted eight falsified driver’s license applications between 2002 and 2019. On each occasion, including one instance while serving as sheriff in 2019, Tony answered “no” when asked if his driving privileges had ever been revoked, suspended, or denied.

The lies still have not caught up with Tony.

A Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission panel found probable cause against Tony in June 2022.

Their recommendation?

Revoke his police license.

At his subsequent non-jury trial, Tony denied answering “no” when asked about previous license suspensions.

In his 31-page order, Judge Robert Kilbride added crucial context to Tony’s denial. He noted that during the in-person application process, “…the applicant is required to verbally answer. Significantly, the answers to these questions do not self-populate from an applicant’s prior application(s).”

It was also noted that when an applicant answers the questions, they are, “required to sign an attestation, which states, “under penalty of perjury, I swear or affirm that the information given by me in this application is true and correct .””

Tony’s denial was yet another lie.

Colon never worked as a driver’s license examiner. Yet, she was the lone witness in Tony’s defense. She suggested it was all a DMV error due to “overwhelming conditions”—but her credibility collapsed when it was revealed she was Tony’s childhood friend, former roommate, and lover. It was also revealed that she had arranged a special DMV appointment for Tony in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. He was given expedited service. He was also allowed entry through the back door to avoid public engagement.

Falsifying information on a driver’s license application is a third-degree felony in Florida. Yet, Tony was let off easy. He received a written reprimand, the lowest level of disciplinary action.

“(Tony), as Sheriff of Broward County, is held to a high standard since his position is one of considerable authority within the community,” Judge Kilbride said in summation of the case. “There can be no doubt that (his) position as a law enforcement officer and Sheriff is also one of great public trust. (Tony’s) action on February 1, 2019, regrettably, has damaged that trust. A basic public expectation of those who serve the public and enforce the law is that they must obey the law.”

Tony has demonstrated the capacity to lie at will. Friends such as Colon have facilitated this active deception.

Yet, law enforcement insiders suggest an even more troubling possibility: that Colon helped Tony establish a new identity. A high-ranking BSO official close to the sheriff pointed to 1990s court records and newspaper articles where Tony’s name was spelled “Toney,” suggesting deliberate obfuscation of his past.

“If you are looking to see why it’s so hard to access so much vital information on him, look no further,” the official noted. “It has been common practice for those who need to change personal details to start their lives fresh to cozy up to someone at the Department of Motor Vehicles.”

The source added that if Tony used altered identification for international travel, including a recent trip to Brazil, it would constitute a federal felony, warranting further investigation by appropriate authorities.

Indeed, possession of any fake or altered US identifying document, whether used or not, is a felony under federal law.

Yet, falsifying government documents was only the start of Tony’s fresh start in Florida. At the same time he was falsifying his driving credentials and infractions to Liberty County officials, he was crafting an even more elaborate fiction about his collegiate football career.

Today, one needs only follow Greg Tony on Instagram to see how he dedicates his life to physical fitness and athletics. Much of his social media presence centers around himself at one of the machines in his agency’s new training center. These posts are characterized by motivational cliches and a breakdown of his exhaustive workouts.

Tony has an image to uphold— that of a former standout running back at FSU under legendary coach Bobby Bowden. He was on track for NFL stardom. But the September 11th attacks changed his life’s direction. 

“Until that fateful moment in history,” Channel 10 reported, “the 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior running back from Philadelphia was focused on his next game – a top-10 matchup between the No. 6 Seminoles and No. 10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Both teams were undefeated and ESPN’s popular “College Gameday” show was headed to campus.”

“There would be no football that weekend,” the news report added. “For Tony, there would be no more football. Period.”

Tony recounted the decision at a 9/11 remembrance ceremony in 2019.

“After seeing that (the attacks), it was clear that I was done,” Tony said. “There would be no more football. There would be no more self-consideration for what financial things would be beneficial for me to play and push toward a career in the NFL. It was going to be public safety. It was going to be service.”

So, Tony left his storied career to pursue a nobler course in law enforcement.

This heroic pivot is an inspiring origin story.

There’s only one problem.

It’s not true.

Greg Tony didn’t leave the FSU’s Seminoles because of 9/11. He left because he wasn’t good enough to stay on the team. He didn’t enlist in the military, and he didn’t unsuccessfully apply to the Tallahassee Police Department until 2004—three years later.

Tony’s college career consisted of 4 games in which he averaged 3.3 yards. Four games. An average of 3.3 yards.

Unlike BSO Colonel Dave Holmes, who had a substantial college career followed by a brief professional stint with the Miami Dolphins, Tony’s athletic achievements at FSU were minimal at best. As with many Greg Tony tales, the greater glory of his mythical college football career was just that. A myth. In truth, Tony was a forgettable bench warmer who transformed himself into an imaginary NFL prospect. He used the same magical thinking that would later convince him he deserved to be sheriff.

The vast gulf between Tony’s portrayed football excellence and his actual collegiate record exemplifies a recurring pattern. Like many elements of Greg Tony’s personal history presented to the public and to Governor DeSantis, his “storied college football career” appears to be largely phony—another example of hyperbolic embellishment that would later raise questions about his credibility and the Governor’s vetting process.

The Story Continues in Part Three: Greg Tony leaves college to begin a career in law enforcement, deceiving the Coral Springs Police Department during the application process. Governor DeSantis appoints Tony after the Parkland tragedy, immediately setting off red flags and investigations.

This investigation is built on court records, police reports, interviews with current and former law enforcement officials, public records, and extensive newspaper coverage of Gregory Tony’s corruption. Some juvenile records referenced in this series appear to have been sealed or destroyed, raising additional questions about Tony’s past that remain unanswered.