“In every public corruption prosecution, an attempt is made to belittle the evidence by claiming that politics, not the proofs, are the source of the criminal charges.  With the guilty verdict against former County Commissioner Joe Martinez, 6 Miami-Dade County citizens weighed the evidence, heard all the testimony, and decided that using one’s elected position for a financial benefit will not be tolerated in this community.  I applaud the talented prosecutorial team of Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Tim VanderGiesen and Assistant State Attorney William Gonzalez for effectively bringing forth the essential case elements that led to this verdict.”