Ana Alliegro, a Florida political operative and longtime friend of former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL), made a recording of herself and the former lawmaker discussing the campaign of an out-of-nowhere 2012 Democratic congressional primary candidate, according to The Miami Herald.
The candidate, Justin Lamar Sternad, pleaded guilty to three counts of illegal campaign activity in February. Rivera has been tied to Sternad’s campaign, and Alliegro reportedly served as a go-between for Rivera and Sternad.
Rivera has denied any wrongdoing or connection to Sternad but, according to the Herald, federal prosecutors now have a tape made by Alliegro months before she skipped town.
From the Herald:
Federal investigators played the recording last year for Sternad, who acknowledged that he had previously listened to the recording.
“This is my insurance policy against David,” Sternad recalled Alliegro saying about the recording. He also had said last year that Alliegro made the recording in Rivera’s car, which she jokingly called “the gangster mobile.”
Still, according to the Herald, if the tape was illegally recorded, it would be hard to include in any case — and it’s not even clear whether the recording is evidence of a crime.
