Ana Alliegro arrives in Miami to face federal charges

Woman charged with making illegal campaign contributions

MIAMI – A woman alleged to be involved in illegal campaign contributions arrived at Miami International Airport late Friday afternoon to face federal charges.

Ana Alliegro was campaign manager for Justin Lamar Sternad, who was indicted on a charge of campaign finance fraud.

She is now charged with making illegal campaign contributions involving Florida's 26th Congressional District.

Alliegro returned from Nicaragua, where she fled to escape federal charges.

In 2012, it was widely reported that U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., may have secretly funded Sternad as a primary challenger to Rivera's rival, Joe Garcia, in order to defeat Sternad in the 2010 election.

Rivera lost his re-election bid to Garcia last November. He has not been charged with any crime and insists he has never met Sternad.