Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Justin Lamar Sternad invokes Fifth Amendment right in FEC filing

A former congressional candidate at the center of an FBI probe tied to Rep. David Rivera has filed blank federal campaign-finance reports and a letter saying he would remain silent to avoid incriminating himself.
"On counsel’s advice, I invoke my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States not to answer or submit the information requested on FEC Form 3, on the grounds that I may incriminate myself," Justin Lamar Sternad wrote Oct. 19 in a just-posted letter to the Federal Elections Commission.
"Please refer all additional inquires to my attorney, Rick L. Yabor."
Yabor declined comment, citing the pending FEC investigation.
Questions from the FEC were bound to arise after Sternad filed 17 blank pages as his campaign close-out report for October.
Sternad lost the Aug. 14 Democratic primary to Joe Garcia, a rival of Rivera. Sternad savaged Garcia with mailers and robo calls that echoed Rivera attack lines. Sternad, a political newcomer and night-desk hotel worker, didn’t disclose where he got the money for the campaign efforts.
The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald first raised questions in August about how Sternad financed his longshot bid for the Kendall-to-Key West congressional seat held by Rivera. The FBI then opened an investigation. Sternad’s letter to the FEC is the first public document confirming a federal investigation.
Federal law requires that congressional candidates disclose their contributions and expenditures. It generally prohibits candidates from accepting more than $2,500 per election from an individual. It’s also a federal crime to conspire to knowingly file false federal paperwork.
Sternad later admitted that he used a Rivera friend, Ana Alliegro, as a campaign consultant, ADD who fled the same day she was scheduled to give a truthful statement from FBI agents and a federal prosecutor. In recent weeks, Sternad has been flummoxed over how to file his final campaign report without further incriminating himself. He and Yabor consulted with federal prosecutors and an FEC expert and they decided the best course of action was a blank report.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/29/3073381/justin-lamar-sternad-invokes-fifth.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/29/3073381/justin-lamar-sternad-invokes-fifth.html#storylink=cpy

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