An alleged”ghost candidate” – a candidate with little activity who runs for the sole reason of drawing votes from another – was recently discovered to have committed several campaign finance violations in central Florida. The accused man, Carlos Irizarry Sr., faces fourteen charges relating to finance violations stemming from a 2022 county commissioner election.
The 67-year-old Buena Ventura Lakes resident was arrested following allegations that he was paid to enter the race – the beginning of a rapid unraveling after investigators took a deep dive into the man’s financial and campaign history.
Irizarry is currently out free on $3,200 bail.
The race in which he ran as a ‘ghost’ was in Osceola County, a part of the wider Orlando metropolitan area. Irrizary also seems to have a violent record – Democratic Governor Charlie Christ fired him while he was Kimmissee County Commissioner over a domestic abuse scandal in 2010.
Subscribe to Florida Jolt Newsletter!
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigators say that they initially received a complaint from another candidate in the race after she lost, with the losing candidate making the allegation that he had been paid to enter. The FDLE then juxtaposed his bank statements and campaign account statements, quickly finding a pattern of inconsistencies and lies – vindicating the candidate and quickly upending Irizarry’s life.
Jackie Espinosa, the candidate who had her campaign possibly ruined by Irizarry and raised the initial complaint, had mixed feelings about his arrest and accused him of participating in an implicitly racist scheme.
“He was a dear friend for many years and his actions have weighed heavy on my heart since coming to light. The arrest made validates what our campaign has always known: a concerted effort by criminals in our community conspired to disenfranchise the Latino voters to benefit the incumbent candidate in the Osceola County Commission District 4 race.”
The incumbent who ultimately won the county commissioner election has not been implicated in the scheme, and Irizarry is the only person charged in the alleged conspiracy thus far.
The ‘ghost’ candidate quickly lashed out at Espinosa over her claims, saying that the real motivation was not vindication but to help propel her campaign to the Kissimmee mayor’s office.
“I believe that Ms. Jackie Espinosa … is losing her mind with the only intention to promote her business to become mayor of Kissimmee.”
She responded to the alleged ghost candidate’s claims, saying that,
“I have served the community too long to use this as clout. I also say that the FDLE would not have pursued this for an entire year to find nothing and if they pursued it it’s because they obviously… found something interesting enough to want it looked into further.”
Join your fellow patriots and subscribe to our Youtube channel.
Espinosa has been hot on the heels of Irrizary, suing him last September over her allegations that he sought to disenfranchise Latino voters. The suit was filed to have the election declared illegitimate.
A judge dismissed the case, but a determined Jackie Espinosa filed a pending appeal. The former political candidate has even appealed to DeSantis’s election crimes office, seeking to unseat the incumbent and hold new elections.
More information on Irrizary and the integrity of the election will likely come out as FDLE investigators continue their examination of the case.
Other stories you may want to read:
Megyn Kelly Mocks Fox News With Hilarious Nickname as Ratings Go Down Toilet
Trans Fighter Accepts Offer to Fight Male MMA Champ – ‘This Thing Thinks It Can Beat Me’
