MIAMI — The first day of former Florida state Sen. Frank Artiles trial on charges of election campaign violations opened with testimony from the political operative who paid him. It ended with a lobbyist telling jurors she heard Artiles boasting how he helped a Republican candidate win a key South Florida Senate seat by the narrowest of margins, during a victory party at a bar in Seminole County.

Monday’s sworn testimony probably came short of proving the state’s case that Artiles, 51, orchestrated a plot involving excessive campaign contributions to a “ghost” candidate, which led to Republican Ileana Garcia’s narrow victory four years ago.

But the state hopes that upcoming witnesses and forensic evidence in what is expected to be a lengthy trial will crystallize for jurors how a man named Alexis Rodriguez — an independent in the race who never campaigned and whose mailing address was in Palm Beach County for the 2020 election — managed to garner 6,000 votes.

“Alex Rodriguez got over 6,000 votes. They were right. They stole an election. There was no other way for them to win,” Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Tim VanderGiesen told jurors during opening statements.

Defense attorneys admitted during opening statements that Artiles aided a ghost candidate. But they also told jurors that the defendant’s actions were lawful.

“It’s not illegal to assist — even financially — ghost candidates. We’re telling you he is a ghost candidate,” defense attorney Frank Quintero Jr., told the jury. “Frank Artiles is guilty of a crime only if he’s found guilty of an election violation. Was the money given to Alex Rodriguez a campaign contribution? If yes, then it’s legal.”

Defeated heavily favored Democratic incumbent

In November 2020, Garcia, a Republican challenger for the Southern Miami-Dade Senate District 37 seat, which cut through southern Miami Beach, Coral Gables and down through Cutler Bay, unexpectedly won the election by 32 votes after a recount. Incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez was largely expected to win.

Just over a year later, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office charged Artiles with election fraud. His 25-page arrest affidavit claims Artiles randomly contacted Alex Rodriguez in May 2020 and went on to tell him he would be coached, didn’t have to campaign and instructed him to lie about his address, saying he lived in Palmetto Bay.

Funneled nearly 45K to ghost candidate

The state claims Artiles made illegal campaign contributions and encouraged Rodriguez to commit perjury. Prosecutors allege Artiles funneled $44,708.03 to Rodriguez in cash and gifts, using his credit card to purchase machinery and, once, to cover $6,798.39 in tuition fees for Rodriguez’s daughter.

Artiles was charged with making excessive campaign contributions, conspiracy to make excessive campaign contributions, falsely swearing an oath and lying on a campaign form.

Artiles’ defense attorneys Tuesday, followed through on their plan to portray the former Marine and now-lobbyist, as a stooge who fell for Alex Rodriguez’s pathology. They argued Alex Rodriguez was the architect of a plot to bleed Artiles of tens of thousands of dollars.

GOP consultant takes stand

After opening statements Tuesday, a rarely seen Republican political consultant who runs a marketing and public opinion research company out of Gainesville called Data Targeting, took the stand. Patrick Bainter told VanderGiesen and his defense attorneys that he paid Artiles $15,000 a month and sent $100,000 to a political action committee on behalf of the former senator for background information on incumbent Javier Rodriguez.

Bainter said he was asked to do so by the Florida Senatorial Campaign Committee in Tallahassee — he’s been their lead consultant for almost two decades — in a quest to defeat Javier Rodriguez. What no one would openly say: Who paid Bainter to hire Artiles, who went on to spend almost $50,000 on ghost candidate Alex Rodriguez?

“We were looking for someone down here with intel,” Bainter said under questioning from VanderGiesen.

‘That’s me. That’s all me’

Next on the stand was Stephanie Smith, who’s now a lobbyist for Tampa Electric, who along with Artiles was at a bar named Liam Fitzpatrick’s during a victory celebration for Republican state Sen. Jason Brodeur on Election Night 2020. Smith testified that when results from Garcia’s race against Jose Rodriguez appeared on the screen, she heard Artiles say “That’s me. That‘s all me.”

She also said she had no clue what he was referring to at the time, but figured it not long after when media outlets began investigating the surprising outcome of the South Dade Senate race. Smith said after a Miami Herald article came out detailing Artiles’ brag at the victory party, he made an “angry” phone call to her, complaining she had spoken to the Herald. Tuesday, under oath, Smith denied she spoke to the Herald.

But the lobbyist said what followed were two attempts from Artiles to get her to sign affidavits saying she never heard what the Herald was alleging.

“I felt I was being pressured. I didn’t sign it,” Smith said. “I didn’t want to at that point be pulled into whatever was going on. And I heard what he said.”

The trial continued Wednesday. Alex Rodriguez, the ghost candidate, is expected to take the stand on Thursday.

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