Facing 20 Years In Prison, No-Party Candidate Alexis Rodriguez To Cooperate With Prosecutors In Case Against Ex-Florida Senator Frank Artiles

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Alexis Rodriguez, the man who ran as a no-party candidate for Florida Senate District Seat 37 last year appeared in court Tuesday.

Seated next to his lawyer, he heard the terms of his plea deal via Zoom.

Rodriguez was facing a slew of charges, but because of the deal, he will serve 36 months probation, including 12 months of house arrest.

Afterward, an emotional Rodriguez apologized for his actions.

"I am deeply sorry for my actions and I want to apologize to my family, my loved ones and my friends, I would like to publicly offer a sincere apology to the residents of Florida District Senate 37 including Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, the people of Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida, and anyone else who was affected by my actions."

Rodriguez was facing up to 20 years in prison.

As part of the plea deal, he will now cooperate with prosecutors in the case against former State Senator Frank Artiles.

On Tuesday, Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle released the following statement regarding the plea deal:

"The credibility and integrity of every vote is the foundation upon which our democracy is based.

Alexis Rodriguez' plea agreement today relating to his recruitment as a "fake" candidate in Florida's Senate District 37 election is an important step in the effort to restore honesty to Florida's election process which has been tarnished too long by almost invisible, independent, and write-in candidates.

Mr. Rodriguez's critical testimony will shed light on the dirty election tricks used to steal our democracy and is the price he is paying for helping rob our community of its right to honest representation."