MIAMI — A metropolis of Miami commissioner accused of bribery and cash laundering was arrested Thursday on a number of corruption expenses, officers stated.

Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla and a co-defendant, Miami lawyer William Riley Jr., had been each booked into the Miami-Dade county jail and had been anticipated to make their first courtroom appearances on Friday, in accordance with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Diaz de la Portilla and Riley accepted greater than $15,000 in funds for the Miami-Dade County Court judicial marketing campaign of Diaz de la Portilla’s brother however didn't report them, as required by state regulation, investigators stated. Riley additionally managed a checking account within the identify of a Delaware-based company to launder about $245,000 in hid political contributions made by a administration providers firm in alternate for permission to construct a sports complicated within the metropolis of Miami, officers stated.

Investigators additionally stated that Diaz de la Portilla operated and managed two political committees used not solely to assist his brother’s marketing campaign, but in addition for private expenditures. Records confirmed that one of many committees reported complete donations of about $2.3 million and the opposite reported complete donations of greater than $800,000.

Diaz de La Portilla, 58, and Riley, 48, have every been charged with one depend of cash laundering, three counts of illegal compensation or reward for official conduct, one depend of bribery and one depend of legal conspiracy. Diaz de la Portilla can be charged with 4 counts of official misconduct, one depend of marketing campaign contribution in extra of authorized limits and two counts of failure to report a present. Riley can be charged with failure to reveal lobbyist bills.

Diaz de la Portilla was being held on a $72,000 bond, and Riley was being held on a $46,000 bond.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case.

Attorneys for Diaz de la Portilla and Riley didn’t instantly reply to messages in search of remark from The Associated Press.

Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com