Ex-NPA candidate Alex Rodriguez will take plea, assist prosecution of Frank Artiles
The planned Aug. 30 trial start date will be pushed back due to the plea deal.
Alex Rodriguez, who prosecutors say ran a sham candidacy in last year’s razor-thin Senate District 37 contest, is set to take a plea deal and cooperate in the case against
Frank Artiles.
Prosecutors charged Artiles with illegally funding Rodriguez’s bid against former Democratic Sen.
José Javier Rodríguez, with whom the third-party candidate shares a last name.
Then-Sen. Rodríguez lost the race to Republican candidate Ileana Garcia by just 32 votes. Alex Rodriguez, who ran with no party affiliation, pulled in nearly 6,400 votes.
That led to charges against Alex Rodriguez and Artiles. Thursday morning, NBC6’s
Phil Prazan first reported that Rodriguez would agree to a plea and serve as a cooperating witness.