Ronaldo Luis Mosqueda Toledo, a 17-year-old, initially accused Andy Santana Zamora, the treasurer for Cuban influencer Alexander Otaola's Miami-Dade mayoral campaign, of engaging in sexual relations with him. However, on Friday, he recanted, stating that his initial police statement was made under duress and threats. "I came to give the truthful statement. The declaration to the police was given under threats and pressure, and it was completely false," the teenager told Univision journalist Javier Díaz.
In Mosqueda Toledo's revised account, he claimed he was threatened with death if he failed to admit the allegations to authorities. "One night, while I was walking in the park, a hooded person approached me, threatened me, and said that if I didn't make that statement, they would kill me. They knew where I studied, and the times I entered and left school," he asserted.
Social Media Photos Explained
Addressing photos on social media showing him affectionately with Santana Zamora, Mosqueda Toledo downplayed their significance, commenting, "Cubans know that a kiss can be given to anyone, that it doesn't mean anything." He added that when the prosecutor questioned him about these images, he replied, "Those photos were taken to make a former partner jealous."
The teenager emphasized on camera that "Andy Santana is innocent, he is not a pedophile, he is not sick, and he did not commit any kind of violation," insisting that they were merely friends and had no sexual relations.
Otaola's Response to the Arrest
Earlier in October, Santana Zamora was arrested for allegedly engaging in illegal sexual activity with a minor. Otaola responded on social media, stating, "Today we woke up to a sadly embarrassing news for me and my team: the arrest of the campaign treasurer, who is being investigated for a despicable charge."
Had the accusation been proven, Santana Zamora could have faced up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, given that the age of consent in Florida is 18. Any sexual activity with someone younger is illegal, potentially leading to a second-degree felony, as noted by the law firm Leppard Law.
Otaola, who was cleared by the minor regarding any awareness of the events, suggested that his treasurer's arrest was being exploited on social media and news outlets to "discredit my reputation and my work, attempting to undermine the credibility of my political activism and my denunciations."