More people charged in investigation into sham state Senate candidates
TALLAHASSEE
A Republican political consultant and a Central Florida sham candidate are facing criminal charges in connection to a
2020 campaign-finance scheme that is linked to a widening political scandal involving Florida Senate elections and dark-money groups.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Tuesday announced the criminal charges against the consultant, James Eric Foglesong, of Winter Park, and the candidate, Jestine Iannotti, who moved to Sweden soon after the November 2020 election.
State investigators found Iannotti illegally accepted $1,200 from Foglesong in exchange for her candidacy. Investigators say Iannotti and Foglesong falsely used the names of other individuals as contributors in campaign-finance documents to “skirt Florida laws on campaign contributions.”
Investigators are also charging Benjamin Richard Paris, of Longwood, for allegedly taking part in the scheme. He is accused of making one contribution through or in the name of another. Paris is a former mayor of Longwood.
“Lying about campaign donations is unacceptable because it provides an unfair advantage to the candidate. Protecting the integrity of our elections is a top priority in Florida, and that includes making sure candidates follow the laws,” FDLE Acting Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement on Tuesday.
Iannotti ran as a noparty candidate in Senate District 9 against Republican former state Rep. Jason Brodeur and Democratic labor attorney Patricia Sigman. Iannotti kept a low profile and hardly campaigned. Her candidacy, however, was promoted in political mail advertisements paid for by a dark-money group that is not legally required to reveal its donors.
The race was decided by 7,644 votes in favor of Brodeur. Iannotti received 5,787 votes.
The Central Florida case mirrors a criminal case in Miami-Dade County, where former state Sen. Frank Artiles, a Miami Republican, is accused of recruiting an auto-parts dealer to run as a sham candidate in the Senate District 37 race. Artiles and the candidate, Alexis Pedro Rodriguez, are facing felony charges.