Resigns City Commission Seat
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Special Agent in Charge Troy Walker announce the charging of former Sweetwater Commissioner, Sophia Lacayo with one count of Perjury When Not in an Official Proceeding. The charge is a First-Degree Misdemeanor crime.
Commissioner Sophia Lacayo was elected in May 2019. However, she did not actually reside within the city limits, a requirement of the City Charter in order to run for office. In her filed Affidavit of Residency, Ms. Lacayo officially swore that she lived at 11132 SW 7th Street when she actually resided at an address in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. The landlord at the SW 7th street address also verified that Ms. Lacayo did not reside at the property.
“Deliberately swearing to false information in order to run for a City Commission seat, as occurred here, deceived those voters who believed in the candidate,” commented State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Such a deliberate action can never have a good result for a city.”
Sophia Lacayo has pleaded guilty to the charge of Perjury when not in. an official proceeding and has been sentenced to one-year County Court probation through the Advocate Program. Ms. Lacayo has received a withhold of adjudication from the Court. As a part of her plea, Ms. Lacayo has resigned from the City of Sweetwater Commission and is prohibited from running for public office during the term of her probation. There will be no early termination of the probation. Additionally, she will take an ethics course with the Miami Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust and pay various investigative cost recovery fees.
