A political operative surrendered to face criminal charges Tuesday after prosecutors said he manipulated elections for community councils in Southwest Miami-Dade.
David Alberto Carcache, 34, was charged with falsifying records, aiding and abetting an elections-code violation and false swearing.
According to prosecutors, the unregistered lobbyist Carcache arranged for three candidates to run for community councils in Kendall and West Kendall, even though they did not live in the neighborhoods and were not eligible to run.
He is alleged to have prepared bogus qualifying documents and maintained control over the candidates’ email accounts. He also submitted fraudulent campaign financial records, prosecutors said.
Thousands of dollars in campaign expenses were also paid in checks or money orders payable to Carcache’s sister and mother, according to prosecutors.
Two candidates, Mauricio Rodriguez-Varela and Daniel Diaz, won their elections in August 2014. They resigned because of the investigation. A third candidate, Jesus Antonio Salas, withdrew from the election before voters went to the polls.