The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office has announced the arrest of North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo on charges related to illegal voting as an “unqualified elector.”
(MDCR))
Mayor Anthony DeFillipo after his arrest on voting charges
The third-degree felonies each carry a maximum 5-year prison term, which could put DeFillipo away for 15-years if convicted.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathy Fernandes Rundle said evidence gathered through subpoenaed cell phone tracking data shows the mayor left his Davie home to vote in North Miami Beach and then returned to Davie each time.
A complaint was filed six months ago with Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust alleging DeFillipo lived in Davie in violation of the North Miami Beach city charter. He has since admitted in a deposition to owning two homes in Davie, one of which is being lived in by his wife and children, but the mayor insists that he lives apart from his family in North Miami Beach due to marital problems.
The arrest comes approximately two weeks after DeFillipo and his loyal supporters on the North Miami Beach city commission voted to remove Michael Joseph from his commission seat for allegedly missing m
(Samantha Morell for The Biscayne Times)
Miami-Dade State Attorney explaining the evidence against North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo at a news conference Wednesday.
ore than 120 days in office in violation of the city charter. Joseph and two other commissioners started boycotting meetings in December and January on grounds that DeFillipo lived outside of the city and was no longer legally mayor.
The City of North Miami Beach has been embroiled in turmoil for months, not only culminating in Joseph fighting in court for his political survival, but with the firing of the city manager, the resignation of the city attorney and now the arrest of DeFillipo.
Tensions also have been at their peak with sides on the commission being taken along racial lines, which The Biscayne Times has written about extensively in recent weeks.
DeFillipo, 51, was first elected in 2018. He previously served as a city commissioner from May 2013 to November 2018.
He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center late Wednesday morning.
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(CBS4)
CBS4 Caught North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo leaving jail after being arrested.
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(Facebook)
Michael Joseph while still a sitting North Miami Beach Commissioner.
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(Samantha Morell for The Biscayne Times)
The North Miami City Commission has been divided along racial lines for months.