The trial has begun for a former Florida state senator accused of violating state election laws related to his alleged support of a bogus candidate in a Miami-area legislative race back in 2020.
Frank Artiles, 51, was arrested back in March of 2021 on multiple charges including false swearing in connection with voting or elections, making or receiving two or more campaign contributions in excess of the limits, and conspiracy to make or receive two or more campaign contributions in excess of the limits, all third-degree felonies.
The alleged sham candidate, Alex Pedro Rodriguez, was arrested on the same charges.
Artiles has pleaded not guilty.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Miami-Dade prosecutors said Artiles helped to plant Rodriguez as a candidate in a Miami-area state Senate race to defeat the Democratic incumbent, offering to pay him $50,000 to run for the position.
The District 37 race was won by Republican Ileana Garcia by just 32 votes over Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez in the 2020 election out of about 215,000 votes cast. Alex Rodriguez, an auto parts dealer, ran as a non-party candidate and has the same last name as the Democrat.
"The election was 32 votes difference. 32 votes. You know what happened? They won. They were successful, they beat Jose Javier Rodriguez, they beat the incumbent. Not Alex Rodriguez, no no. They weren’t trying to get Alex Rodriguez to win the race, they wanted Ileana Garcia to win the race," assistant state attorney Timothy VanderGiesen said during opening statements.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Artiles reached out to Alex Rodriguez through Facebook Messenger about running for the position in May 2020. The two had known each other for about 20 years, and Alex Rodriguez said he was experiencing dire financial difficulties, Fernandez Rundle said.
Artiles helped Alex Rodriguez, who was living in Boca Raton, to falsify qualifying paperwork, using an old driver's license that reflected Rodriguez's old Palmetto Bay address, Fernandez Rundle said.
Local
Artiles had Rodriguez change his party affiliation from Republican to Independent, gave Rodriguez $2,000 to open a campaign bank account, then flew to Tallahassee to file Rodriguez's campaign paperwork with the state's department of elections, Fernandez Rundle said.
Over the course of the election season, Artiles gave almost $45,000 to Alex Rodriguez, Fernandez Rundle said.
Artiles has denied paying Rodriguez for the campaign and defense attorneys told jurors the money transfers were legitimate business transactions.
So-called "ghost candidates" are not illegal under Florida law but making illegal campaign contributions to get a candidate to run is.
"If you conclude that Alex Rodrguez was a ghost candidate, we are telling you he is. Ghost candidate, that in it itself is not a crime. Nor is it a crime to encourage to assist to support or contribute with legal limits to such a candidate," defense attorney Frank Quintero said.
Fernandez Rundle said there was no indication that Garcia was part of the alleged plot.
In 2017, the Republican Artiles resigned from the state Senate after using racial slurs in a conversation with two Black legislators in a Tallahassee bar. Then it was revealed Artiles used money from his political committee to hire a former Playboy model and Hooters girl as a consultant.
Artiles served three terms in the state House from a Miami-Dade district and then was elected to the Senate before his resignation. Before that, he served in the Marine Corps.
