Former Miami Beach Commission candidate cleared of sexual misconduct claims

Rafael Velasquez says former campaign manager informed him of setup

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ A former candidate for the Miami Beach City Commission, whose entire campaign staff suddenly quit just before the election in November, has been cleared of accusations he sexually harassed two women.

"It took me by surprise, by shock,"Ā Rafael Velasquez said of the accusations against him.

For the past six months, Velasquez says his lifeĀ has beenĀ a nightmare. The turmoil unfoldedĀ after current Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez accused him of exposing his genitals to her during a car ride Oct. 18.

"He had started to say that he thought that I was his soulmate, and I said, 'Please, can we stay focused on the campaign?'" Rosen Gonzalez previouslyĀ told Local 10 News. "By the time we got into the car, he had become abusive. He exposed himself. He was trying to, like, force my hand on him, and it was too much."

Prosecutors later informed the commissioner that no criminal charges would be filed because they were unable to determine whether a crime had occurred.

Following the allegation, Velazquez said he told Miami Beach police detectives he learned Rosen Gonzalez had fabricated the incident to score positive publicity. His source was Pedro Diaz, a campaign manager who worked with both candidates.Ā 

"He basically admitted this political setup to me before and he asked me not to tell anybody,"Ā Velasquez said.Ā 

Velasquez called Diaz on the phone to discussĀ the alleged setup while detectives listened.

"The only thing I told you was that I tried stopping her from doing it, from publicizing it, because, one, it could backfire on her later on next year in the campaign and, two, that it could backfire on you and you would lose the campaign,"Ā Diaz said.Ā 

"I think if somebody listens to the full statements, it becomes pretty clear here that it was a nasty setup,"Ā Velasquez said. Ā 

But Rosen Gonzalez claims otherwise.Ā 

"This type of ridicule and abuse is exactly why women do not come forward,"Ā she said in a statement. "Society turns a blind eye to the Bill Cosby's, the Rafael Velazquez's of the world. The only valuable part of this uncomfortable conflict is knowing that he lost his election and will not be able to abuse his power and abuse other women. Justice was served when the electorate of Miami Beach rejected him. If I am a casualty of his lies, it was well worth it because I stand for all the women he would have abused."

Another woman, Frances Alban,Ā claimed Velasquez grabbed her backside in June 2017 while posing for a group photo.Ā 

"I was not even aware that I touched her, but I also apologized to her,"Ā Velasquez said.

Velasquez said he pressed charges against Rosen Gonzalez for allegedly filing a false police report, but the charges were later dropped.Ā 


About the Author:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School,Ā Homestead Senior HighĀ School and graduated from St. Thomas University.