Lawyer: Ghost candidate’s PAC got ghost contribution
A campaign mailer that used a cropped photograph of Miami-Dade Fire Captain Omar Blanco, who is running in the Republican primary for state rep in House District 115 — saying that he endorsed former Democrat gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum — is a “malicious fabrication” according to a letter threatening a defamation lawsuit.
The mailer was sent by a political action committee Protecting the American Dream on behalf of Alian Collazo, a Tampa transplant that has been planted in the race by Republican operatives, including Sen. Alexis Calatayud, his good friend from Florida International University, whose home is where Collazo is registered to vote.
“Omar Blanco wants you to think he’s a Republican, but he endorsed Democrat Andrew Gillum,” reads the headline, listing Gillum’s negative headlines, including that time he was caught in a Miami Beach hotel room with suspected crystal meth. “A vote for Omar Blanco, is a vote for socialist Andrew Gillum.”
Read related: Tampa transplant candidate for HD 115 is registered to vote at Senator’s home
Attorney Lorenzo Palomares Starbuck, a former Congressional candidate — and also Blanco’s father-in-law — said in the letter to PAC treasurer Anthony Fiore, a frequent treasurer based in Coral Gables, and PAC Chair Linet Avalo Hernandez, of St. Petersburg, that they knew and/or had reason to know that Blanco never endorsed Gillum and, he added, they used and manipulated a photograph taken at a black firefighter’s event.
“You published said falsehood with the specific intent to cause false light in the public eye with the specific intent to aid and benefit your political goals,” Palomares says in the letter, which gives them notice to “correct your statement,” but Ladra doesn’t know how they’ll do that if it’s already out. Perhaps they will sue if Blanco loses the GOP primary Aug. 20, but there’s a fat chance of that.
Nobody knows this guy, so nobody is going to believe him.
Palomares also takes issue with the PAC’s financial records, which show that there was a $55,000 contribution from Avalo Hernandez, a senior health care provider in St. Petersburg, where Collazo is from, given on the last day before the first quarter reporting period. Five days later, the $55K was reimbursed on April 5, just hours after the State of Florida Elections Commission deadline.
That means that they said they had $142,800 when the PAC really only had $87,800. The PAC reported having $94,300, according to the latest campaign report, so it hasn’t been very active since March.
Read related: Tampa transplant HD 115 candidate Alian Collazo does not act Republican
“Such manipulation of loans intending to provide a false light and impression that there exists a certain financial commitment to your political vision is by and large a false statement made to the State of Florida elections department,” Palomares wrote. “Your publications containing defamatory statements about supporting and endorsing Andrew Gillum are false and maliciously intended to create a false light against our client Mr. Omar Blanco.”
Blanco and Collazo are two of three Republicans in the race to replace State Rep. Alina Garcia, who is running for Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections. The third, Moises Benhabib, has loaned himself $50K for the run, but isn’t expected to do much damage to either.
Letter to PAC from Omar Blanco lawyer, State House 115 race by Political Cortadito on Scribd
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