Posted on Fri, Jul. 30, 2004
ELECTION 2004
Police: Donor list, money faked
By NOAH BIERMAN
nbierman@herald.com
In a clumsy attempt at fraud, a 72-year-old Miami-Dade County Commission candidate with a long list of political defeats nearly grabbed $50,000 in public campaign matching funds, police said.
An investigator calls it an early sign that recently enacted campaign reforms are attracting new and creative methods of cheating taxpayers.
''It was very sloppily done, but it was an interesting idea as a way to make a $15,000 investment toward a $50,000 payoff,'' Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Felix Jimenez said.
Juan Miguel Alfonso, who is running against Commissioner Bruno Barreiro in District 5, is accused of faking his campaign reports to make it appear that he had more than 435 individual contributors to his County Commission race.
(snip)
Barreiro tipped off police that something seemed wrong with Alfonso's campaign finance reports when he noticed some of his own supporters on the list.(snip/...)
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