Frank Artiles, a former state senator of Cuban descent, has been found guilty of breaching multiple Florida election laws in an attempt to influence the outcomes of the 2020 elections. A member of the Republican Party, Artiles was convicted of making excessive campaign contributions totaling $26,812.92, conspiring to make illegal contributions, and attempting to falsify a candidate oath form, all of which are third-degree felonies. He was acquitted of falsifying a voter registration form.
Artiles faced arrest in 2021 over accusations of financing a "ghost candidate" during Florida's elections. He was accused of orchestrating and funding a sham candidate to deceive voters by paying a man to run as a non-party candidate. This move aimed to confuse voters and siphon votes from the Democratic contender.
The Ghost Candidate Scheme
In a ploy to mislead voters, the Cuban-American politician introduced a "ghost candidate" named Alex Rodríguez, a 55-year-old merchant, promising him $50,000 to participate in the race for the state Senate's 37th district. This created confusion due to the Democratic candidate's similar name, José Javier Rodríguez, making it easy for voters to mistake one for the other.
The scheme paid off, with Republican Ileana García narrowly defeating her Democratic opponent José Javier Rodríguez by just 32 votes. The inexperienced Alex Rodríguez garnered around 6,000 votes. In 2021, he was arrested alongside Artiles, pleaded guilty, and agreed to testify against him in the trial that has recently reached a verdict.
Legal Implications and Past Controversies
In the U.S., while it isn't illegal to field a fake candidate, financing one crosses the line. Artiles resigned from his Florida Senate position in 2017 following two scandals: one involving racial slurs directed at colleagues and another concerning hiring waitresses with no political experience to work for him.