North Miami Beach Mayor Resigns, Must Serve House Arrest

MIAMI, FL — The mayor of North Miami Beach was forced to resign on Tuesday and was to be placed on 90 days of house arrest. Mayor George Vallejo must also issue a written apology to the 41,253 residents of his community based on a plea agreement reached over campaign finance violations, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. Vallejo agreed to plead guilty to two counts of violating campaign finance laws to avoid further prosecution.

Vice Mayor Beth E. Spiegel will serve as mayor, according to city spokesperson Nicole Gomez. Vallejo's offenses are considered first-degree misdemeanor crimes under Florida law.

"Residents should know that we will continue city business as usual and operate under the processes defined by the City Charter," Gomez said.

"An investigation undertaken by the Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s Public Corruption Task Force has resulted in the filing of criminal charges against North Miami Beach Mayor George Vallejo as a result of actions carried out at the time of the 2015 North Miami Beach municipal elections," the State Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday.

The charges stem from a political committee called “Floridians For Progress” that was created in January of 2015 by Vallejo’s aunt, Denise Corredeira. Prosecutors said that Vallejo asked his aunt to create the political committee on his behalf.

"In May of 2015, the treasurer of the FFP political committee wrote a check totaling $5,000 to an entity called JATC, Inc., as payment for 'fundraiser consulting' as indicated personally by Vallejo," the State Attorney's Office said. "The investigation showed that this statement was false."

Prosecutors learned that JATC, Inc. and a Wyoming entity called Creations Unlimited LLC, where the money was later transferred, are both controlled by Vallejo and Shinego.

The couple spent the money on personal expenses. JATC was formed in Florida in 2014. The entity listed a friend of Shinego as the sole incorporator and registered agent.

In addition to resigning from office, Vallejo will also be sentenced to 18 months of reporting probation and may not "early-terminate" the probation prior to completing all 18 months.

Vallejo, who was born in New Jersey to Cuban immigrants, claims on his bio to have 23 years of business experience in both large banking organizations and small businesses. He serves as a board trustee to the North Miami Beach Police Officers & Firefighters Retirement Board.

The mayor's official North Miami Beach bio also said that Vallejo's "business background and unwavering commitment to honesty, brings fresh economic perspective and practical solutions to the critical issues facing our city."

Vallejo will be prohibited from seeking federal, state and local elected office during his 18-month probation, according to the State Attorney's Office.

He will be required to wear a GPS monitoring device during his 90 days of house arrest and must also complete 500 community service hours.

Vallejo's term would have expired in 2019. He has been mayor since May of 2011 and ran unopposed in 2015. Prosecutors said he personally solicited contributions to the Floridians For Progress committee.

Former North Miami Beach Mayor Myron Rosner was charged with fraud back in October in connection with a land deal gone wrong. Rosner was accused of spending a $150,000 investment that was given to him by a physician to develop a 2.2-acre parcel in nearby North Miami. That case was also brought by Fernandez Rundle.

Photo courtesy North Miami Beach