Friday, September 14, 2012

Is the fix "in", on the effort to prosecute absentee ballot fraud? ... by gimleteye

Our fellow blogger, The Straw Buyer, believes "the fix is in, so much for getting justice in the absentee ballot scandal".

The Straw Buyer notes first, that absentee ballot fraud has been a de factor standard in Miami Dade elections for many years, and second, the speed with which Mayor Carlos Gimenez and State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle distanced themselves from the latest scandal. "In the most recent election, it seemed like the absentee ballots provided the razor thin margins that several of the candidates were able to win their seats with so it's easy to understand why some very powerful people are going to want this whole scandal to go away quietly."

Eye On Miami has been all over the absentee ballot scandal as well. We have noted that the combination of voter suppression and absentee ballot fraud is like a shot of Red Bull and vodka for an entrenched political status quo in Florida that is mostly GOP-organized.

Rundle quickly recused herself and Gimenez denied any relationship with the professional absentee ballot fraudsters.

Now what? According to The Straw Buyer, two odd developments. The state attorney's office now wants back, into the case. Now the kicker: our fellow blogger reports from a source in the police department. "... recently there have been moves made recently to transfer the Major in charge of Public Corruption in the MDPD out of his position and replace him with an old friend and lacky of Mayor Gimenez, a fellow from the Hammocks named Major Hernan Organvidez. Again, this is no way shape or form anything more than an unsubstantiated rumor, but consider for a moment if it was true. Who better to oversee a critical investigation into voter fraud that may affect you and your colleagues than an old friend?"

Some of our commenters on this blog have noted how it is also odd that The Miami Herald has gone cold on the Ana Sol Alliegro disappearance. Alliegro appears to be in the middle of campaign fraud that ties GOP Congressman David Rivera to a Democratic primary candidate running against his nemesis, Joe Garcia.

The Straw Buyer asks, "So is the fix in? I don't know but with the state attorney office delaying Robaina's arraignment (uncle of the former mayor of Hialeah, Julio Robaina) and the possibility of the Mayor's buddy taking over the MDPD public corruption unit, it certainly looks like it!"

We venture an observation: if it is true that Mayor Gimenez is rearranging the investigative capacity of the Miami Dade Police Department with insiders, it is consistent with the behavior of his predecessor, Carlos Alvarez, recalled by voters. Alvarez put one of his pals in charge of a multi-million dollar fund created from fines paid by criminals who violated environmental laws. In this sad chapter, money was squandered to feather the lifestyles of top cops.

The trail on this act of official thievery also went cold, cold, cold once the key actor resigned quietly. The money was never refunded to the public trust. Carlos Alvarez, though, was recalled eventually. So what have we learned?

For one, the loss of public confidence in public institutions is justified. Second, anything is possible in Miami Dade, when it comes to insulating the political and economic status quo. It is a reason that federal law enforcement and prosecutions are the only hope in a county and state that often seems hopeless corrupted.

And oh by the way, where did that money come from that was stolen by the police department? Federal prosecutions ...


29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is Geniusofdespair? That should be your next post.

Anonymous said...

This is all disgusting. Talk about a major ______________(fill in the blanks so I don't offend the curse language police trolls)!

If we don't see any prosecution or the behind the scene deal making leading to no where on purpose, recalls of all involved sound like a great idea.

Maybe this could be a new project for Braman, one that would work like the Alvarez recall.

Gimleteye said...

Eye on Miami has been blogging daily for more than five years. It is difficult to keep up as unpaid labor, even if the labor is well appreciated by our readers. G.O.D. is not far away.

Stephanie Kienzle said...

You have done an amazing job uncovering the voter fraud that has been plaguing Miami-Dade County for years. I do, however, take issue with your comment that it's "mostly GOP-organized." As I posted in my blog "New queen on the Block" (http://www.votersopinion.com/?p=5984), my State Representative John Patrick Julien lost his seat to another Democrat due to potential absentee ballot fraud by a mere 13 votes. He is challenging this in court and I hope he prevails. The Hialeah boletera ring might be associated with the GOP (nothing surprises me), but in northeast Miami-Dade County, ballot brokers for Democrats are playing just as dirty. Voter fraud is a huge problem in our county, and until absentee ballot laws are reformed, it will be far too easy to continue rigging elections. As long as there is rampant corruption in our local government, including the State Attorney's Office, we will never been 100% confident in election results. Corrupt people in power will do anything to remain in power by any means necessary. The electorate be damned.

Anonymous said...

Reagan said, trust but verify. Here, mistrust, hold your nose, throw away the Miami Herald.

Anonymous said...

We keep returning the same fools to office. We are hostages to democracy in name only.

Anonymous said...

If the Herald is worth it's weight it will stand up and not stop banging until the miscreants are brought to justice even if it means traveling up the political food chain straight to Rubio.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand your comment (and not trying to be a smarta##) "G.O.D. is not far away". Are you refering to "GOD - the supernatural creator and overseer of humans and the universe" or the Korean band (Groove Over Dose), the song G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition) or something else?

Anonymous said...

Miami-Dade Police Director Jim Loftus will one day reveal why he resigned the day after the election. Gimenez demanded Loftus return from vacation on the Gulf Coast and be at his office at 2:00 on Friday, August 3rd to report the status of the absentee ballot investigation. It was a pure act of intimidation by the Mayor. And it was the last straw for Loftus. The Chief is too much of a honorable gentleman to blast the man the people just elected, but he knew he could not serve under him without sacrificing his own integrity.

The reported moves in the Public Corruption Unit ring true with the management style you would expect from Mayor Gimenez. It is going to be a long four years.

Anonymous said...

To Stephanie: the local GOP understands that some Democrats will be in office and works to support those who will be more "accepting" of Republican initiatives. It's all about the money at the end of the day...and some "D's" play the game verys well.

Anonymous said...

How many millions in environmental crime money were misspent and why can't all that money be recouped and applied appropriately? There is great need for environmental restoration and repair, beginning with the decrepit sewage system that is falling apart at the seams, spewing raw sewage into our streets, canals and Biacayne Bay. Hear that Mayor Gimemez?

Anonymous said...

I question the PBA's tactics on these past 2 Mayoral Races. I understand that they supported the "other guy" in both races, and that support was based on the belief that the "other guy" would treat them better at the bargaining table than Gimenez.

But they didn't just support the "other guy". They went scorched earth after Gimenez and they got personal. What I can't understand about the PBA is that their leadership has been around long enough to know that you need to leave some opening there to have some sort of workable relationship, or respect, in case your candidate loses.

Additionally, the union that is made up of people that enforce our laws clearly supported the candidate in both of those races that was of... let's just say "a more questionable integrity"

Mensa said...

I believe that the reason the state attorney is not active in the fight against crime in the voting is that she herself used people to collect absentee ballots and use them for her.

Anonymous said...

Man up, Herald!

Anonymous said...

Not knowing anything about the Police Director situation, as a general rule NO ONE who works for government should take vacation during election season. You take it before the season begins or immediately after. And under no circumstances should you be absent on election day. People in high positions who do not observe this rule usually lose their jobs.

Anonymous said...

Give us a break... Loftus was on vacation and there had to be another 15 people in the command chain that were actually active in the investigation or had access to the same information that Loftus would have brought to the meeting.

Let me tell you something. It is very disheartening to the men and women of the police department that an interim police director was not been announced. The police department is going to go from a well run paramilitary organization to one of gadflys and ass kissers. Since they announced Loftus is gone and have made no commitment to an interim director, it makes to the officers feel like no one is in control of the department (Gimenez IS not a police officer...he is NOT qualified to be a police director).

The rumor is out that Gimenez is interviewing outsiders for director, including some City of Miami ex-chiefs. I believe John Timoney is one of the names mentioned.

The fact is, whatever the PBA did and whatever Gimenez thinks about the Rivera should not affect the way Gimenez and his minions treat the police officers. Obviously, Gimenez won by a large margin, which means that the police officers in their entirety did not vote the PBA direction. I would love to see some maturity out of our elected officials and new person at the PBA.

Anonymous said...

Beyond the political drama that is now in play, officers need to know that this community appreciates, respects, and honors the work they do to protect us in this difficult urban area. Hopefully a Police Chief will be appointed soon.

Anonymous said...

Bovo seems to be very involved in the absentee ballot scams. At least one of his own staffers was actively collecting absentee ballots. Bovo needs to confess.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Al Crespo said...

Really? You have to ask whether the investigation is in the tank? Of course it's in the tank. It's been in the tank since the day it was announced.

The charges against Robaina will be dropped, and the Grand Jury will muddle through and once again bemoan the fact that this is a big problem that unfortunately can't be dealt with by the State Attorney.

They will pass the buck to the legislature about needing new laws, and come next August, when His Ignorance, Tomas Regalado runs for reelection, you'll see more Absentee Ballot abuses, and the show will start all over again.

Consider Absentee Ballot fraud a local form of job creation.

Anonymous said...

Another "Only in Miami" story unbelievable. This will take the full force of the Department of Justice to bring justice.

Anonymous said...

Another "Only in Miami" story unbelievable. This will take the full force of the Department of Justice to bring justice.

Anonymous said...

he is involved with the corruption with the voting fraud, he is sexually harassing at least one of the ladies working for another commissioner...., and he is still a commissioner????.

Anonymous said...

sorry the above comment about fraud and sexual harassment was about BOVO.

Anonymous said...


FBI Tips and Public Leads
https://tips.fbi.gov/

What We Investigate
4. Combat public corruption at all levels Corruption in government threatens our country’s democracy and national security, impacting everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected…to verdicts handed down in courts…to the quality of our roads and schools. And it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, too, wasting billions of tax dollars every year.
Our investigations in Miami focus on violations of federal law by public officials in local, state, and federal government, such as bribery, contract and procurement fraud, antitrust, environmental crimes, election fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

FBI Miami (Division Headquarters) 
16320 NW 2nd Avenue
North Miami Beach, FL 33169- 6508
 Phone: (305) 944-9101

Fax: (305) 787-6538

E-mail: Miami@ic.fbi.gov
Counties: Dade and Broward

Homestead
3725 S.E. 14th Court
Homestead, FL 33035 
Phone: (305) 230-0142
Counties: Dade and Monroe

FBI Tips and Public Leads
https://tips.fbi.gov/

Anonymous said...

HELLO!! The voter turn out for police officers is dismal. They are too full of themselves to bother to go to the polls.

Anonymous said...

FBi on Miami

FBI Tips and Public Leads
https://tips.fbi.gov/

What We Investigate
4. Combat public corruption at all levels Corruption in government threatens our country’s democracy and national security, impacting everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected…to verdicts handed down in courts…to the quality of our roads and schools. And it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, too, wasting billions of tax dollars every year.
Our investigations in Miami focus on violations of federal law by public officials in local, state, and federal government, such as bribery, contract and procurement fraud, antitrust, environmental crimes, election fraud, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
For more information on the FBI’s national efforts, see our Public Corruption webpage. And see our Press Room for current cases and our Miami History page for past investigations.
FBI Miami (Division Headquarters) 
16320 NW 2nd Avenue
North Miami Beach, FL 33169- 6508
Phone: (305) 944-9101 
Fax: (305) 787-6538
E-mail: Miami@ic.fbi.gov
Counties: Dade and Broward
Homestead
3725 S.E. 14th Court
Homestead, FL 33035 
Phone: (305) 230-0142
Counties: Dade and Monroe

FBI Tips and Public Leads
https://tips.fbi.gov/

Anonymous said...


This just takes the cake - I'd re title this letter to the Herald as pot kettle black!

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/16/3003192/dont-disenfranchise-absentee-ballot.html

If Rep. Trujillo is so concerned about "disenfranchising" AB voters, why doesn't he just go ahead a propose legislation restricting their use to people who cannot make it to the polls due to a disability, serving our Country abroad or out of the area, or for any other VALID reason, clearly stating it on the application for the AB ballot.

Save your BS for the next election.

Anonymous said...

As you squabble over ab's, you are totally missing the biggest problem - the ES&S DS200 Optical Scanners. They are unreliable, overheat, lose data and don't create event logs - therefore they are incredibly hackable.