The dollar amount of the ruling has yet to be determined, but it could approach seven figures based on a lieutenant’s $106,000 base annual salary, benefits, pension and the loss of the use of his BSO squad car.

Richard did order a five-day suspension for Murray because he emailed photographs of Capt. Milton Weiner, who works in the Pompano district, to co-workers. Those photographs were taken from a website that Weiner himself had posted online, but they were not explicit or derogatory.

“I did authorize five days suspension without pay and I did that because he did forward these goofy photographs of a co-worker to other co-workers,” Richard said. “That’s what the disciplinary committee had given other employees for doing the same thing, so I only thought it was fair”

Murray could not be reached and his attorney, Mike Braverman, did not respond to questions.

Nonetheless, the investigation was handled by Internal Affairs Sergeant Mary Guess. Murray was a lieutenant in charge of BSO’s Strategic Investigations Division. Among other things, her 2009 investigation concluded he engaged in harassment, visited adult websites while at work and downloaded sexually explicit pictures on his job computer.

The report also accused him of misusing law enforcement databases to spy on co-workers. Her report led to Murray’s suspension in October 2009 and eventual firing three months later in January 2010.

“Those accusations were false,” Richard said. “If he wanted to watch pornography, he didn’t have to visit any sites because investigating that is part of what SID [Strategic Investigations Division] does and their computers are not part of the regular sheriff’s office network.”

His union appealed the termination through an independent arbitrator. Nearly two years later, Murray’s reinstatement has been ordered.

The sheriff’s office has yet to comment on the ruling.

*Pictured above is former Broward Sheriff's Lt. James Murray.