A Republican strategist who ran two political committees connected to an alleged shill candidate scheme told the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office he “has done this many times in the past” and it was, “not his first rodeo.”
A “Report of Investigation” outlining all the work the state attorney’s office has conducted was released containing a timeline of events that begins on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 one day after Local 10 aired its first story on the alleged scheme.
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Back in November 2020, a recount was triggered in the race for Florida State Senate in District 37. Incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez was behind Republican Ileana Garcia by just 31 votes, with third-party candidate Alex Rodriguez receiving more than 6,000 votes despite never campaigning. Two other candidates, Celso Alfonso, who ran in District 39, and Jestine Iannoti, who ran in Central Florida’s District 9 State Senate race all had financial support from a PAC showing identical patterns. The three races had identical contributions and expenditures from two political committees: Our Florida and The Truth.
The report summarizes in-person visits, stakeouts, conversations, depositions and subpoenas by the date on which they occurred.
According to the report, Republican strategist Alex Alvarado was interviewed by the state attorney’s office on December 11, 2020, but only agreed to do so with the “condition that the interview not be recorded.”
During his statement, Alvarado says his company, Alvarado Strategies, focuses on political fundraising, data gathering, focal grounds and forming Political Action Committees (PACs). He told investigators he recruited two of his fiance’s friends to act as chairperson to two separate PACs. Sierra Olive chaired the Our Florida PC while Hailey DeFilippis agreed to be chair to The Truth PC. According to the report, Alvarado admitted to paying both Olive and DeFilippis to “merely act as the faces of the committees only.” Those payments were detailed by both women in their interviews with investigators.
Alvarado also told the state attorney’s office he was responsible for both committees including all “monies, filings, communications and financial matters,” according to the report.
The money given to both PACs was from an entity called Proclivity in October 2020. The donation totaled $550,000 and was used to print flyers for the non-party affiliated candidates in all three races. Alvarado contacted Advanced Impression LLC to print the flyers. The company is owned by his stepfather, Luis Rodriguez.
A month after the election, campaign records were updated changing the donor from Proclivity, to Grow United Inc. Alvarado said he didn’t know who controlled Grow United, but said a man named Richard Alexander was the chairperson of Proclivity. According to the report, Alvarado said Alexander emailed him to make the correction on campaign filings, but Alvarado “refused to identify” who gave him the name Proclivity to begin with and wouldn’t say where the donated money originated.
In the report, it’s noted that Alvarado told investigators “he has done this many times in the past, it’s all legal, and it was not his first rodeo. Mr. Alvarado further stated that this is how he makes his living and if we didn’t like it, we could change the law.”
While being interviewed, he told the state attorney’s office that he knew Frank Artiles as a state senator, but “not personally.” He denied Artiles being involved with Grow United Inc or the donations.
Local 10′s Glenna Milberg attempted to reach Alvarado for comment at his Tallahassee home, but Alvarado called police instead of responding. An officer said Alvarado was out of town and saw the Local 10 news crew on his property, prompting the call.
Artiles turned himself in along with the non-party affiliated candidate in District 37, Alex Rodriguez, for their roles in the alleged scheme. Both were facing felony campaign finance charges. Rodriguez has since taken a plea deal and has agreed to testify against Artiles, who he says paid him more than $44,000 to run as a third-party candidate.
Records released to Local 10 also included statements from two Election Night party attendees who say Artiles sent them affidavits to sign. They told investigators the affidavits were in response to a Miami Herald report which detailed Artiles being at an Election Night party in Orlando for Republican Jason Brodeur, who ran for and won the seat in District 9. A source had told the Herald that Artiles bragged about being behind the races in Miami.
One of those attendees, health insurance lobbyist Stephanie Smith, told investigators Artiles made the comments while looking at election results on her phone.
Smith said while scrolling through she passed the race for District 37 “and he pointed at the screen, ‘That’s me. That’s all me.’”
Smith told investigators Artiles continued, saying “something along the lines of, this is a tactic, or this is an old trick in the book, or this is something I’ve used in campaigns over time.”
“So, it was very clear to me what he meant,” Smith said in her statement. “That he meant that I’m the reason that this race was won. You know what I mean?”
Smith found the comments unusual.
“Because why would he say that out loud? Why would he just say that out loud? And that crowd just kind of shakes its head because he’s drinking and he’s very cocky, he’s proud, right?” Smith stated. “This race was tight, and right when he pointed, it was turning, right? It was becoming clear that she was going to win. And I think he just couldn’t help himself.”
Smith said after the story was published, Artiles called her accusing her of talking to the Herald, which she denies. She said Artiles called her vulgar names during the call before asking her to sign an affidavit.
Smith said she did not sign the first affidavit or a second revised version that came afterward.
“I’m like, I’m not signing this. This is crazy. One, because you said it,” Smith stated.
She went on to tell investigators that she called others who were at the party, only to learn they had also been sent affidavits to sign.
A second attendee, William Rodriguez, says he never heard Artiles claim he was responsible for the races but did receive an affidavit.
“He did send me an email maybe a month after the election, with an affidavit attached to it, without a name on it,” Rodriguez said.
“But when I saw the email, I literally looked at the email and I thought, ‘Frank, why are you involving me? Why are you putting me in your messes.”
William Rodriguez said he never responded and didn’t sign an affidavit.