TAMPA, Fla.—A fired police officer who appeared in one gay porn film three years before he became a cop was allowed to keep his police certification a state review panel ruled yesterday.
Mike Verdugo was fired by the Hollywood (Fla.) Police Department last year for not disclosing on his job application his previous sole appearance in a gay porn movie called Rope Rituals.
Yesterday’s ruling by a 19-member state arbitration panel doesn’t give Verdugo his old job back, but allows him to retain his certification, meaning that he won’t need to be retrained.
Verdugo, also a former contestant on the HGTV interior design show Design Star, has sued to get his old job back. The case will be heard in November in Broward Circuit Court. HGTV dropped Verdugo from the program after his porn past came to light.
"We won," Verdugo told The Columbus Dispatch. "They voted unanimously. We're done. My certification stands. I'm happy. Shocked—in a good way."
Verdugo, who made $700 for his bondage scene, said it never occurred to him to put the movie on his resume when he applied for a position with the Hollywood Police Department.
