Wednesday, February 11, 2004
South Miami Voters Boot Mayor Accused of Campaign Cash Violations
Yesterday the mayor of South Miami lost his job after voters rejected him in light of recent charges that he violated campaign finance laws. The Miami Herald reports here that Mayor Horace Feliu was arrested and charged with accepting a $1300 campaign contribution, much higher than the city's $250 limit. Feliu claims he thought the check was for his party, not his mayor's campaign, but prosecutors claim they have an undercover wiretap that proves otherwise. Seems like it would be pretty simply to just see who the check was made out to. If a trial shows Feliu was guilty, then justice will have been done. But, if Feliu is telling the truth, then the election may have been sabotaged by political operatives. Voters should stay tuned to see what the real deal is.
UPDATE: Well, turns out that at least two jurors did think that this was a political setup. Feliu was acquitted of these charges on May 27, 2004. The check was blank, so Feliu's claim that he would give the check to the party is plausible. See this story in the Sun Sentinal for details.
Yesterday the mayor of South Miami lost his job after voters rejected him in light of recent charges that he violated campaign finance laws. The Miami Herald reports here that Mayor Horace Feliu was arrested and charged with accepting a $1300 campaign contribution, much higher than the city's $250 limit. Feliu claims he thought the check was for his party, not his mayor's campaign, but prosecutors claim they have an undercover wiretap that proves otherwise. Seems like it would be pretty simply to just see who the check was made out to. If a trial shows Feliu was guilty, then justice will have been done. But, if Feliu is telling the truth, then the election may have been sabotaged by political operatives. Voters should stay tuned to see what the real deal is.
UPDATE: Well, turns out that at least two jurors did think that this was a political setup. Feliu was acquitted of these charges on May 27, 2004. The check was blank, so Feliu's claim that he would give the check to the party is plausible. See this story in the Sun Sentinal for details.
