Treasurer of Former Miami-Dade Mayoral Candidate Arrested and Charged With Having Sex With a Minor

ALABAMA - A Florida politician has been arrested on felony charges of having sex with a minor. Andy Santana, the treasurer of former Miami-Dade Mayor candidate Alex Otaola was booked at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center this week and accused of having a four-month-long unlawful sexual activity with a 17-year-old male.

The former treasurer for Otaola, who ran for mayor this year and lost to incumbent Daniella Levine Cava, was also charged with contributing to child delinquency, which is considered a misdemeanor, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Miami New Times.

The arrest was brough to light by independent journalist Elaine de Valle, who first flagged Santana's arrest on her X social media account, sharing a screenshot of his case number and the charges he faces.

Otaola shared a Facebook post in which he confirmed that the man arrested was indeed his former treasurer, adding that he and his work team "woke up to sadly shameful news" and that Santana was "under investigation for a truly repudiable charge."

Otaola went on to say that he condemns any illegal or morally questionable act and said he had nothing to do with the situation and had "nothing to make a statement about."

According to the affidavit, the teenager reported to Hialeah police that, between May and September, he and Santana had various levels of sexual contact. He revealed that the contact began on May 12, when Santana kissed him and grabbed his genitals, and escalated from there to include oral and anal sex.

The sworn statement put in writing also mentions that Santana allegedly encouraged the victim, identified as R.M. in the affidavit, to use drugs before sex and, on at least one occasion, handcuffed and raped him.

Before Santana's arrest, several TikTokers compiled video footage of Santana and a young man they claim is R.M. In one of the videos, Santana and a young man with a red neck tattoo appear to be recording themselves in bed, with the video's caption saying "here you can see Andy Santana, campaign manager, with a minor under 18 years of age (Otaola), respond to this."

The victim also told police he had sexual intercourse with Santana "at least five times in a week" and that he used to spend weekends at Santana's Hialeah apartment.

In response to a Miami New Times request for comment, Otaola said that he "would have to speak with his lawyer" and that he had "no information regarding what happened."

If convicted of the felony charge, Santana faces up to 15 years in prison, while the misdemeanor charge carries an additional punishment of up to a year in jail.

Another Florida politician, GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, has also been accused of attending a "drug-fueled" sex party in 2017 with a 17-year-old girl at the center of an alleged sex trafficking scandal. Gaetz has denied all allegations.