Former North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo pleads guilty to illegal voting charges
MIAMI - Former North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo pleaded guilty Monday to charges related to allegations that he illegally voted in city elections while residing in a different county.
DeFillipo, 53, admitted to voting as an unqualified elector and violating election residency requirements as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Initially charged in 2023 with three felony counts, authorities accused him of voting in a North Miami Beach district even though he no longer lived there.
Under the plea deal, counts I, II and III were combined into a single charge, alleging DeFillipo was an unqualified voter between August and November 2022.
He also pleaded guilty to a municipal ordinance violation.
His attorney, Michael Pizzi, said adjudication was withheld on both counts, meaning DeFillipo will not have a criminal record.
He was sentenced to four years of probation, which could be terminated after two and a half years.
"This case was resolved in a way that allows the mayor to move forward with his life without a felony record, focusing on his work and family while putting this behind him," said Pizzi.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, whose office prosecuted the case, called the plea a significant step toward restoring trust in the electoral process.
"Today's guilty plea by former North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo ends a long and painful political saga for the residents of the city," Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Florida's voting laws exist to ensure that our elections are an honest representation of the will of the voters. Sadly, former Mayor DeFillipo's actions deliberately undermined that process and today was the day of reckoning."
North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph also weighed in on the resolution, expressing gratitude for the work of state officials and prosecutors.
"On behalf of the city of North Miami Beach, we thank Governor Ron DeSantis, former city attorney Hans Ottinot and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and her team for their leadership in helping us set things right," Joseph said.
"This is not a red or blue issue. This is a law and order issue. After today, the people of North Miami Beach can finally turn the page on the city's history of public corruption and toward a brighter future together."
DeFillipo was accused of voting in three North Miami Beach elections while living in another county.
Jury selection for his trial was set to begin Monday before the plea agreement was reached.
