North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo, a Florida Democrat, has been arrested and charged with three counts of voter fraud. Police allege he voted in the same election three times over the course of months.
Police used cell phone data to track DeFillipo after a complaint alleged he lived in a neighboring town, which Miami Herald reports would violate a North Miami Beach city charter requirement for elected officials to reside within city limits.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said investigators ultimately learned that DeFillipo drove from Davie, where he resides, to North Miami Beach, where he then “cast ballots to vote in three elections in August, October and November,” the outlet reported.
North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo (D) has been charged with 3 third-degrees felonies for allegedly illegally voting in 3 elections. He's the 3rd North Miami Beach mayor to be arrested in 11 years.https://t.co/CZgPwesc8F
— RRH Elections (@RRHElections) June 2, 2023
“We believe the evidence shows (DeFillipo) voted illegally three times,” said Fernandez Rundle, according to CBS News. She added, “It wasn’t as if, ‘Oops, I forgot once,’” according to Miami Herald. She added, “This is three times in rapid succession.”
Despite allegedly moving out of his family home to neighboring Davie, DeFillipo is accused of continuing to vote in North Miami Beach despite having no legal right to vote in the district.
“Our voting laws apply to everyone,” Fernandez Rundle remarked. “There are no unwritten exceptions.”
DeFillipo repeatedly denied accusations he did not live in the city limits, at one point citing marital issues and claiming he bought property in Davie for his family while he intended to remain in North Miami Beach.
BREAKING 🚨 North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo has been arrested—charges involve voting from an address where he did not live. pic.twitter.com/PkECRc0k52
— PoliticsVerse 🇺🇸 (@PoliticsVerse) May 31, 2023
After reports emerged revealing that DeFillipo owns several properties through his company, he insisted that he never took up permanent residence at the properties, and remained a resident of North Miami Beach.
His attorney, Michael Pizzi, denied the allegations and said he and his client “look forward to a speedy exoneration,” according to Free Beacon. He also claimed the arrest was politically motivated.
A business owner, DeFillipo was previously a city commissioner and the president of the Greater NMB Chamber of Commerce, according to his profile that remains on the city website.
DeFillipo is the third North Miami Beach mayor to be arrested in 11 years.
