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Miami, FL - A jury has found former Republican State Senator Frank Artiles guilty of charges related to a "ghost candidate" scheme that helped flip a Miami-area state Senate seat in 2020.
Artiles was accused of recruiting Alex Rodriguez, a "ghost candidate," to run as a third-party candidate in the District 37 race against incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez.
The scheme was allegedly designed to siphon votes away from Rodriguez, ultimately allowing Republican candidate Illeana Garcia to win the election by a narrow margin.
NBC 6 Miami reports Artiles was convicted of excessive campaign contributions, conspiracy to make campaign contributions, and procuring the falsification of a candidate oath form.
He was acquitted of procuring the falsification of a voter registration form.
Prosecutors argued that Artiles had paid Rodriguez money to carry out the scheme, while defense attorneys claimed the payments were legitimate business transactions.
The jury ultimately sided with the prosecution, finding that Artiles' actions constituted illegal campaign contributions.
As a result of his conviction, Artiles faces potential imprisonment and fines.