Tag Archives: Rhoda Sokoloff

Broward Judicial Candidate Tania Williams Using Campaign Treasurer Wrapped Up In Miami-Dade “Ghost“ Candidate Investigation

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Why did Tania Williams hire Jose Riesco?

The campaign treasurer for Broward County Circuit Court candidate Tania Williams is the same man mentioned in the Miami-Dade “ghost” candidate investigation, records show. In records filed in March 2022 with the Florida Division of Elections, Williams listed Jose Riesco of Coral Gables as her campaign treasurer. An odd choice for a longtime Palm Beach county resident who, until recently, trained lawyers for Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor.

Jose Riesco was named in numerous published reports detailing investigations into no-party “ghost” candidates in Miami-Dade elections. In March 2021, former State Senator Frank Artiles was arrested for his role in funding the campaigns of ghost candidates.

According to the Miami Herald, Artiles was charged with felonies related to “offering Alexis ‘Alex’ Rodriguez $50,000 to run as an independent in Miami-Dade’s Senate District 37 race. The goal, investigators say, was to ‘confuse voters and influence the outcome’ of the race to represent Senate District 37, a large swath that includes downtown Miami, Coral Gables and Pinecrest.”

In 2020, the Herald first reported how Artiles had recruited and boasted about planting Rodriguez in the race.

In June 2021, the Herald published emails showing Jose Riesco’s involvement in Artiles scheme. “In one of the email chains released by state prosecutors, Jones is looped in on a June 16 message with a PDF attachment labeled: ‘Wire Transfer Instructions.’ On that day, records show Data Targeting arranged a wire transfer of $100,000 to a nonprofit called Florida Stronger Inc. The organization’s officers include De Varona, who notarized Rodriguez’s campaign paperwork, and Jose Riesco, who served as the no-party candidate’s campaign treasurer.”

According to Frank Artiles’ arrest affidavit, Jose Riesco signed the check for the ghost candidate’s qualifying fee.

Tania Williams calls herself a “skilled advocate.” So how did she end up with a campaign treasurer involved in such shady business?

Did someone recommend Jose Riesco?

Does Tania Williams know how to use Google?

Don’t Broward residents deserve Judges who do not hire shady Miami-Dade campaign operatives?

Frank Artiles arrest affidavit mentions Tania Williams’ campaign treasurer

STICKER SHOCK FOR DAN LEWIS CLIENTS

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danlewisDan Lewis’ political clients might be in for some serious sticker shock. Lewis’ political committee (Florida’s Democracy Project) just filed its first financial report with the State of Florida. Earlier this week, Lewis took credit for the latest edition of his “fake” endorsement card targeting Broward Democrat voters. According to Buddy Nevins at BrowardBeat, “In his filing documents, Lewis writes that the group has no bank account ‘because we anticipate no monetary transactions, only in-kind contributions.‘”

On August 5, 2016 Florida’s Democracy Project reported a $18,766.50 in-kind contribution from JNAC Communication and Management Services, LLC, a Fort Lauderdale company owned by Dan Lewis. The in-kind contribution was described as “slate card production.”

LEWIS CLIENTS CHARGED DOUBLE THE COST OF BLUE CARD

Lewis’ clients paid twice as much for their countywide mailers than the in-kind cost of the blue card. In July, Clerk of Courts candidate Mitch Ceasar paid $41,877.51 to JNAC for “mailer, printing and postage.” Broward Circuit Court Judge candidate Doreen Turner Inkeles paid $44,162.75 to JNAC.

Two Broward County Court candidates paid Lewis’ JNAC the exact same amount for mailers. Kim Mollica and Rhoda Sokoloff each paid $45,331.83 to Lewis’ company.

INVESTIGATION INTO 2014 BLUE CARD

It is unclear how many “fake” blue cards were produced by Dan Lewis so far this year. REDBROWARD can confirm some voters have received the card by mailer. A source claims volunteers may be used to hand deliver cards.

In 2014, Lewis boasted of printing more than one million cards. REDBROWARD exposed that was not true.

Florida Elections Commission investigators found Lewis did not print one million “blue cards.” Investigators obtained invoices from Lewis’ printer, The Printer’s Printer, and cancelled checks. Robert Zelinka of The Printer’s Printer told investigators he had printed just 200,000 cards for Lewis. Zelinka said just 117,000 cards were mailed to Broward voters. On October 9, 2014, the company submitted an invoice for $12,499 to Lewis’ Strategic Technologies & Research, Inc. Lewis was billed $10,126 for 3 versions of “postcards’ and $2,373 for three different mail “drops.”

This invoice was received one week before Dan Lewis told BrowardBeat he had printed one million cards.

Lewis was accused of using a “fake” union label on his cards as well.

In July 2015, State investigator Keith Smith spoke with Tom Schatz, a chief investigator for the Teamsters Union in Washington, D.C.

Smith had faxed a copy of the mailer to Schatz to determine the validity of the union label on the “blue cards.” According to Smith’s notes, Schatz said, “that after reviewing the copy of the union-label and asking around, it was determined that the union-label was definitely not theirs and was a ‘counterfeit’ union-label. He said it appears that someone ‘made up’ the union-label and ‘stuck it on’ the mailer.”

Questions continue to swirl around Lewis’ card but he refuses to comment to REDBROWARD. Yesterday, REDBROWARD reported Lewis used the same US Post Office bulk mail permit to send clients mailers and the blue card. Was postage the in-kind contribution? Did the printer charge Lewis for the cards this time? Did Lewis buy his own printing press? Broward voters (and a few judicial candidates) deserve answers.