Ex-Florida senator to have sentence date set in ‘ghost candidate' scheme
A former Florida state senator found guilty of violating state election laws related to a “ghost candidate” scheme in a Miami-area legislative race back in 2020 will have his sentencing date set on Monday. Frank Artiles was convicted by a jury last month on charges including excessive campaign contributions, conspiring to make campaign contributions and procuring the falsification of a candidate oath form. Authorities had claimed Artiles recruited “ghost candidate” Alex Rodriguez to run as a third party candidate to eventually siphon votes from incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez in the District 37 race in 2020. Rodriguez successfully received over 6,000 votes in the election and Republican candidate Illeana Garcia beat the incumbent by just 32 votes. Defense attorneys admit Artiles paid Rodriguez for an attorney and his daughter’s school tuition, but called those payments legal business transactions and not campaign contributions. Florida law permits ghost candidates but prohibits people making excessive amounts of campaign contributions over $1,000. Artiles’ attorneys have vowed to appeal the verdict.
A former Florida state senator found guilty of violating state election laws related to a “ghost candidate” scheme in a Miami-area legislative race back in 2020 will have his sentencing date set on Monday.
Frank Artiles was convicted by a jury last month on charges including excessive campaign contributions, conspiring to make campaign contributions and procuring the falsification of a candidate oath form.
Authorities had claimed Artiles recruited “ghost candidate” Alex Rodriguez to run as a third party candidate to eventually siphon votes from incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez in the District 37 race in 2020. Rodriguez successfully received over 6,000 votes in the election and Republican candidate Illeana Garcia beat the incumbent by just 32 votes.
Defense attorneys admit Artiles paid Rodriguez for an attorney and his daughter’s school tuition, but called those payments legal business transactions and not campaign contributions.
Florida law permits ghost candidates but prohibits people making excessive amounts of campaign contributions over $1,000.
Artiles’ attorneys have vowed to appeal the verdict.
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