News

FDLE arrests Miami Commissioner on money laundering, official misconduct charges

 
For Immediate Release
September 14, 2023

MIAMI – Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents today arrested City of Miami Commissioner Alejandro “Alex” Diaz de la Portilla, 58, and attorney William W. Riley Jr, 48, of Miami on one count of money laundering, three counts of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior, one count of bribery, and one count of criminal conspiracy.

Diaz de la Portilla is also charged with four counts of official misconduct, one count of campaign contribution in excess of legal limits, and two counts of failure to report a gift. Riley Jr. is also charged with failure to disclose lobbyist expenses.

During the investigation, agents found evidence indicating Diaz de la Portilla and Riley Jr. accepted more than $15,000 in payments for Diaz de la Portilla’s brother’s Miami-Dade County Court judicial campaign but did not report them, as required by Florida Statutes, Chapter 106.

Additionally, Riley Jr. controlled a bank account in the name of a Delaware-based corporation to launder approximately $245,000 in concealed political contributions made by a management services company in exchange for permission to build a sports complex in the city of Miami.

Further investigation determined Diaz de la Portilla also operated and controlled two political committees used not only to support his brother’s campaign, but also for personal expenditures. Records showed that one of the committees reported totaldonations of approximately $2.3 million and the other reported total donations of more than $800,000.  

Diaz de la Portilla and Riley Jr. were arrested in Miami Thursday afternoon.

They are booked into the Turner Guilford Knight (TGK) Detention Center and are expected to appear in front of a judge in first appearance bond court in Miami on September 15.

Diaz de la Portilla is being held on a $72,000 bond, while Riley Jr. is being held on a $46,000 bond.

Assistant State Attorneys Catherine Maus and Janine Rice, of the Broward State Attorney’s Office, will prosecute this case.

For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001
 

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Priorities

FDLE is composed of five areas: Executive Direction and Business Support, Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science, Criminal Justice Information, Criminal Justice Professionalism and Florida Capitol Police. FDLE’s duties, responsibilities and procedures are mandated through Chapter 943, FS, and Chapter 11, FAC. To learn more about these areas, read our Statement of Agency Organization and Operation or visit our Open Government page.