TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the arrest of Yinka Abodeda Adeshina, 43, on two counts of fraud for submitting false statements to the Department of State.
Adeshina was arrested this afternoon by the Tallahassee Police Department on an FDLE warrant and was transported to the Leon County Jail by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
Adeshina was a Republican candidate in the August 2014 Florida Governor primary election. As part of her campaign finance reports, she told the Department of State she raised $182,000 for her election bid. However, donors she listed in the report did not exist and FDLE believes she fabricated donors and addresses to show she had raised more than $150,000.
Under Florida law, any candidate raising more than $150,000 is eligible for matching funds from taxpayers. While Adeshina never collected matching funds, she did provide false information in an effort to receive the money.
Adeshina was arrested this afternoon at the Tallahassee Regional Airport returning from a three-week vacation.
Due to the fact that she was returning from the West African nation of Nigeria she had been screened medically in Atlanta and was determined to not have any symptoms or signs of illness. Nigeria is currently not among the nations of high concern and she demonstrated no symptoms of illness. Out of an abundance of caution she was arrested by TPD officers and Leon County Sheriff’s Deputies who donned gloves and masks. There are currently no cases of Ebola in Florida.
Adeshina was booked into the Leon County Jail on a $10,000 bond. The case is being prosecuted by the 2nd Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
For Further Information Contact:
Gretl Plessinger, Samantha Andrews or Steve Arthur
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001