Francis Suarez: Like father like son? AB scandal hits

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Say it ain’t so, Baby X.

According to the Miami Herald, which broke the story moments ago, cops raided the home of the Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez‘s mayoral campaign manager, Juan Pablo Baggini, early Thursday morning after they traced at least 20 illegal online absentee ballot requests to an IP address that was traced back to his home computer.

The requests were flagged as suspicious and ballots were never mailed.

But while the damage to the campaign may be done, the alleged crime is not as bad as it looks. A statement to come from the commissioner later today (read: any minute now) will explain that these online requests were all generated from paper requests filled out and signed by actual real voters at a Cinco de Mayo event.

In fact, one source told Ladra that detectives had already spoken to several of the voters in question and confirmed that they had, indeed, requested ABs.

Francis “The Future” told the Herald that he and his staff were cooperating fully with police.

“We feel confident that once they investigate the circumstances fully, it will be apparent nothing was done to purposely violate the law,” he said. And I believe that.

“They will conclude that everything was done legally,” he added. And I am not so sure about that one. Because while there may not have been intent to break the law, ignorance is not a valid defense in court.

Four hours earlier, he seemed to have no clue when he posted on twitter: “Great start to another beautiful day in #Miami. Father’s Day is just a few days away. What is everyone doing for their father’s this year?”

Suarez said there is nothing in common and no link between the investigation into the campaign for Congressman Joe Garcia, which is accused of generating hundreds of fraudulent AB ballots for voters without their knowledge vis-a-vis a computer virus, and the raid on his campaign manager’s home.

“It is completely different circumstances,” the commissioner told the Herald.

But, c’mon! JP just mistakenly thought he could order the ballots online for the voters? Rather than mail the actual signed requests in or drop them off at the elections department? We have time. How could he be so careless?

It tells you right there on the request form that you have to check one of two categories: “I am submitting this request for myself,” or “I am submitting this request for an immediate family member or person for whom I am the legal guardian.”

Ladra imagines that JP checked “for myself” because these people had requested absentee ballots. But, still. He should have known better. Especially after the heat rained on Rep. Joe Garcia and his strategist Jeffrey Garcia (no relation), who resigned as the Congressman’s chief of staff after he took responsibility for the felonious AB scam.

And this is yet another reason why we need full-scale absentee ballot reform now.

This could be a case of like father, like son. Not because anyone did anything really wrong here. But because the damage is ditto.

Even though Miami-Dade Commissioner “Mayor Sir” Xavier Suarezwas implicated in AB fraud that eventually led a judge to overturn the Miami 1997 elections, stripping the senior Suarez of his mayoral seat, everyone knows that fraud was committed by Commissioner Humbertico Hernandez, who was actually arrested for election fraud. He was acquitted of charges he fabricated evidence but convicted of being an accessory after the fact and sentenced to 364 days in prison (he later got 4 years for federal money laundering and bank charges. But of course, we later learned that his attorney was having an affair with his wife so he, arguably, did not get great representation).

The point is that Suarez, who was never charged with a crime, was never directly tied to the AB fraud and may have been simply caught in Humbertico’s stream. After all, Hernandez was not about to help then mayoral candidate and Miami commissioner Joe Carollo, who had beaten him for a commission seat only a couple years earlier.

Now, fast forward 15 years: Baby X could be stripped of the mayoral seat before he even gets there — because the political value of such allegations, whether they are proven or not, are huge to Mayor Tomas Regalado.

Can’t you just imagine him breathing a sigh of relief?

The senior Suarez — who has repeatedly offered Ladra to go through the 1997 case and show how he was uninvolved (even though I believe him) — told Ladra early Thursday afternoon that, although it was an honest mistake, he knew it would become political fodder for the incumbent.

Papi has been right alongside Baby X throughout the campaign (indeed, Ladra thinks it was his father who pushed The Future to jump now, rather than wait four years) and he seemed hurt for the boy, but not defeated, by the allegations.

What would his advice be to junior now?

“You have to follow the letter of the law and if you have any doubt, contact an attorney,” the senior Suarez told me. “It’s such a complex process that I can’t fault anyone for not understanding it thoroughly.

“Just admit it was a technical mistake and move forward.”

That’s going to be a bit more difficult now. But not impossible. It’s early enough. We still have five months to go.

Only someone with the support, army of volunteers, political muscle and, don’t forget, $1 million plus that Francis “The Future” Suarez has can come out of this one and still, maybe, win in November.

But he has a lot of ‘splaining to do.

  absentee ballots, Francis Suarez, Miami mayoral race, Xavier Suarez