Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez sentenced to 3 years after being convicted on corruption charges – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
MIAMI (WSVN) – Convicted former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday after a jury found him guilty of using his political power for a financial benefit back in November 2024.
“Mr. Martinez is adjudicated guilty and he is sentenced to 34.5 months in state prison,” said a judge.
Martinez was arrested in 2022 on the accusation of being paid $15,000 by supermarket owner, Jorge Negrin, to draft legislation regarding parking storage containers on their property.
Though the legislation never passed and was never considered by commissioners, it was all in an effort to help Negrin avoid the repeated code violation fines he was facing for having too many storage units in the property.
Since his arrest, Martinez has denied any wrongdoings.
“It takes a huge amount of stress when you’re innocent because when you’re guilty you cut a deal and you’re great—you can deal with it—but when you’re innocent it takes a stress and a toll on the family, on your friends, on everybody,” said Martinez.
The judge also ruled that Martinez will be out on bail while his attorney, Ben Kuehne, files an appeal.
“He will be released on bond pending appeal,” said the judge.
Kuehne said he’s confident that the appeal will prove Martinez’s innocence.
“This case has shown that the justice system is not perfect and we will fight on Joe’s behalf for his vindication. He told the public, the public he served for four decades, that he did nothing wrong. We believe that the appeal will show that Joe Martinez did nothing wrong,” said
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