Jury finds ex-Florida senator guilty in ‘ghost candidate’ scheme

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After a trial lasting more than two weeks, jurors on Monday convicted former Republican State Senator Frank Artiles on several charges related to a “ghost candidate” scheme.

Prosecutors alleged that Artiles recruited Alex Rodriguez, a “ghost candidate,” to run as a third-party candidate in the 2020 District 37 race, aiming to siphon votes away from incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez. In that election, Rodriguez received over 6,000 votes, contributing to Republican Illeana Garcia’s narrow victory over the incumbent by just 32 votes.

Jurors found Artiles guilty of making excessive campaign contributions, specifically six contributions totaling $26,812.92. He was also convicted of conspiring to make campaign contributions and for procuring the falsification of a candidate oath form. However, he was acquitted of the charge related to the falsification of a voter registration form.

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