Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martínez is found guilty in corruption trial

Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martínez, of Cuban descent, was found guilty on Thursday of conspiracy and illegal compensation charges, following a trial that lasted slightly over a week.

Martínez faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years due to accusations from authorities that he accepted $15,000 from the owner of a supermarket in a failed attempt to alter a county ordinance to address code compliance issues.

Martínez was a retired police lieutenant and a potential candidate for sheriff in the recent 2024 elections. He is affiliated with the Republican Party and had represented District 11 in West Miami-Dade since 2016. Additionally, he served as the leader of the conservative bloc of board members.

Prosecutor Tim VanderGiesen stated about the case that “a public official cannot extort people for personal gain from their public positions.”

For his part, defense attorney Ben Kuehne argued that "there was no evidence that Joe Martínez was desperate for money, unable to pay his bills, or behind on his mortgage, none of that."

"Whether he was in office or out of it, as a retired law enforcement officer or as a private citizen, he always sought to help everyone else," Kuehne said, according to Local 10.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney, Katherine Fernández Rundle, also commented on this outcome. "With the guilty verdict against former county commissioner Joe Martínez, 12 citizens from Miami-Dade County weighed the evidence, listened to all the testimonies, and concluded that the use of an elected office for personal financial gain will not be tolerated in this community."

Former Commissioner Martínez began his career as a police officer in 1984 in Miami-Dade. He rose through the ranks, serving as a detective in the General Investigations Unit from 1988 to 1992, and was later promoted to lieutenant.

The Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners honored Martínez by proclaiming July 27, 1993, as "Detective José Martínez Day," in recognition of his bravery during an incident where he put himself in the line of fire to protect a fellow officer during a drug trafficking operation.

Born in Miami and of Cuban descent, he holds a degree in Public Administration from Barry University.

The news of his arrest came to light through the blog Político Cortadito in August 2022. That same month, Martínez voluntarily entered the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.