Apparently crime really does pay.  At least in Miami-Dade County.

In the absentee ballot fraud case of Hialeah boletera Deisy Cabrera, not only will she not go to jail, she won’t even be tried.  Instead, a one year probation plea deal was brokered.

That was easy! 

In addition to that sweet deal, according to a Miami Herald article just published, Accused Hialeah ballot broker accepts probation, “prosecutors dropped the felony charge” and she has to stay out of the politicking business while under probation, “which could be terminated after six months.”

So much for all the time and effort expended by private investigator Joe Carillo in an effort to rout out voter fraud in Miami-Dade County.  He worked diligently with police agencies and hounded State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle for months and months in an effort to get them to bring Cabrera to justice.  Carillo even enlisted the help of the Broward County State Attorney when Rundle dropped the ball.  As usual.  All his work was for naught.

Of course, Cabrera’s lawyer claimed his client was “unfairly maligned,” accused the Miami-Dade corruption unit of incompetence and swore up and down that “she only ever wanted to help elderly people wanting to vote.”

Oh, puh-LEEZE!  How stupid does he think we are?

Certainly not as stupid as the Miami-Dade County prosecutor handling this case, who obviously believed his client’s sob story or no probation deal would have been made.

In a telephone interview, Joe Carillo told me, “On July 31, 2012, five minutes after testifying on oath, I said that nothing was going to happen in this case.  A year and a half later I was proven correct.”

Carillo added, “Forty five minutes ago I contacted the FBI agent I worked with and told him I would not cooperate with him any longer.”

The lackadaisical prosecution and laissez faire attitude toward voter fraud by the State Attorney has led to the loss of Miami-Dade County’s best gladiator against voter fraud and corruption.  If Joe Carillo gives up, it certainly discourages the rest of us from continuing to fight this losing battle.  How sad is that?

Say it isn’t so, Joe!

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I keep hoping that one day there really will be an honest election in Miami-Dade County.  That hope dwindles a bit more each and every time an absentee ballot broker gets away with breaking the law.  The lack of any consequences for doing so has only empowered the Deisy Cabreras of the county to gear up for the next election.  Mark my words – even if she serves her full twelve months of probation, she’ll be out there brokering ballots in time for the 2014 vote.  My only concern is that by then there will be no one left to care.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”