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On Thursday, September 14, Miami city commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was arrested on a dozen counts of white-collar crime. According to NBC Miami, Diaz de la Portilla was accused of several crimes, including money laundering, bribery, criminal conspiracy, and three counts of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior. He was arrested alongside William W. Riley Jr., an attorney also facing several charges.
According to CBS, 58-year-old Alex Diaz de la Portilla is Miami's District 1 commissioner. A prolific Republican politician, in the past, he has been a member of the Florida Senate, as well as the Florida House of Representatives. Before the recent fraud allegations, he was best known for his various infrastructural projects around Miami.
The FDLE outlines Alex Diaz de la Portilla's alleged criminal activities
According to CBS, on Thursday, September 14, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) reported that they had been investigating Alex Diaz de la Portilla over various fraud-related allegations.
Per the FDLE, Diaz de la Portilla and Riley accepted $15,000 in unreported donations for Diaz de la Portilla's brother's judicial campaign. The Miami Herald noted that in certain cases, the funds were used to finance ads that targeted the suspect's political rivals.
In another instance, Alex Diaz de la Portilla reportedly controlled a bank account under a Delaware-based company. Using this account, he supposedly laundered an additional $250,000 in unreported political donations. The money had reportedly been provided by a management services company, which is said to have paid the suspect so he could arrange for them to build a sports complex.
Besides running what prosecutors have described as a criminal conspiracy, Diaz de la Portilla supposedly ran two political committees. He reportedly used this position to support the political careers of his two brothers, Miguel and Renier.
In an official statement, Jose Arrojo, executive director of the Miami Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, condemned the alleged actions of the veteran politician.
"It is always sad and regrettable when an elected official is criminally charged with abusing the public's trust, but the community should find some solace in the fact that today's arrest will shine a bright light on the alleged criminal conduct," Arrojo said.
"The investigation leading to today's arrest of City of Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla and local attorney William W. Riley, Jr. began as an inquiry into possible violations of local ethics ordinances. Once it became evident that a violation of criminal law was indicated, the matter was brought to prosecutors and law enforcement," he added.
Alex Diaz de la Portilla's legal team has denied any allegations against the politician. Describing the "false charges" as politically motivated, the team said that de la Portilla will be prepared to fight them in court.
