Authorities are investigating whether Artiles funded a candidate in the Florida Senate 37th district race to influence election results
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MIAMI.- With a court order, the Police of Miami-Dade raided the home of former Florida senator Frank Artiles, as part of an investigation by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, which seeks to clarify whether the politician would have illegally financed a candidate in the last November elections to influence the electoral results.
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Local television media reported that investigators are looking for evidence of a possible link between Artiles and Álex Rodríguez, a candidate in the race for district 37 of the Senate Florida, which was finally won by Republican Ileana García, who stripped Democrat José Javier Rodríguez of that seat.
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Investigators focused the search for evidence on electronic devices, including a cell phone and a computer of the former legislator, and also on a safe they found in Artiles’ home, located in the municipality of Palmetto Bay, south of Miami-Dade.
José Javier Rodríguez’s campaign believes that Alex Rodríguez, having the same surname and with the help of Artiles, would have “diverted” the votes of the Democrat, tilting the election in favor of Iliana García, which is why some consider the possibility of having created a ‘ghost’ candidate.
García won the 37th district elections by only 32 votes over José Javier Rodríguez. Candidate Alex Rodríguez obtained more than 6,000 votes.
According to the Local 10 television channel, there is no evidence to suggest that García was involved or had knowledge of an ‘accomplice’ to favor her in the contest.
Miami-Dade Police confirmed that they served the warrant at Artiles’ home, in connection with the investigation being conducted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, but did not provide further information.
Artiles resigned his chair in the state Senate in 2017 after being embroiled in a racial scandal and amid reports that allegedly former Hooters and Playboy models, with no political experience, were hired as “consultants” to his campaign.
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