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Independent president Roque De La Fuenta announced he plans to sue the Florida Secretary of State, as well as the Broward County Supervisor of Elections for election fraud Monday, according to an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation. De La Fuente cites a sworn letter from a Broward County election volunteer that reveals election officials filled in blank absentee ballots in a locked room, a behavior the campaign calls highly suspicious. De La Fuente is suing to expose a current hole in Florida election law, namely that officials don’t monitor closely for potential voter fraud unless the election...

Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, an independent candidate for president who garnered less than 1 percent of the vote in Nevada, filed late Tuesday for a recount of a sample of the state’s presidential ballots. De La Fuente identified 93 precincts to be recounted and paid $14,154.98 to the secretary of state’s office ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline to cover the cost. ....... In a statement Tuesday, De La Fuente said he ran in the Democratic presidential primary, then ran in the general election in various states as an independent and as the nominee of both the Reform Party...

OAKLAND -- The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has decided not to file charges against Oakland City Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente for drunken driving, claiming there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges. De La Fuente was arrested and booked into jail last month by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of driving under the influence. The CHP said at the time that De La Fuente was driving erratically and failed a sobriety test. We will bring you updates as more information becomes available.

Shhhh. What's the big secret? When it comes to Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' deliberations on matters of grave importance - they are cloaked in more secrecy than an illegal CIA counterterrorist operation. When Dellums ran for mayor in 2006, he pledged to run a transparent government. Yet at a time when Oakland needs a strong leader to deal with budget cuts and lack of leadership in several key departments, Dellums is missing in action and his decision- making process is one of the best kept secrets in Oakland City Hall. I don't think even the mayor knows what's going on...

Armed robbers terrorized Oakland restaurants and small businesses in three separate crime sprees over the past year. The first wave targeted Asian eateries and struck during the 2007 holiday season. The second arrived last spring and was more indiscriminate. The third struck in July and August. All three made newspaper headlines and led television newscasts, shining a spotlight on the city's out-of-control crime problem and the Oakland Police Department's apparent inability to cope with it. In fact, the department's public response to the takeover robberies was both odd and illuminating. The department's mantra for dealing with the city's crime spike...

OAKLAND — Mayor Ron Dellums detailed his decision to postpone the 166th Oakland Police Academy in a letter to City Council members Friday, saying the city does not have the money to put more recruits through training at this time.The academy was originally scheduled to begin Dec. 8 and will be postponed until spring or summer of next year."Given the harsh fiscal realities that we face today — which are more severe than expected even a few months ago — delaying the December police academy is the only responsible decision we can make," Dellums wrote.Police officials told 44 recruits Nov....

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland City Council met Tuesday night and approved new reforms to end nepotism in city government, a move made in response to this past summer's scandal involving former City Administrator Deborah Edgerly. Oakland city leaders say they want the public to have confidence in City Hall, by eliminating the chance of government workers giving favors to friends and family members. The ordinance approved Tuesday night bans nepotism effective immediately. From now on, anyone who applies for a job with the city must disclose all personal relationships with city officials and employees. "Hopefully we'll begin to restore...

OAKLAND - The son of Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women, all but one of whom were prostitutes. Ignacio De La Fuente Jr., 34, must register as a sex offender, Judge Allan Hymer said during a short hearing in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland, capping a case that has rocked the city's political scene. De La Fuente Jr. smiled at his family and a woman called out, "We love you, Nachito," as he was led away by sheriff's deputies. The courtroom was filled with...

The Oakland Police Department has asked the FBI to investigate accusations by City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente that investigators pumped up rape and assault charges against his son to embarrass the council president just as he was gearing up to run for mayor. The FBI has yet to respond to the request and may turn it down. If it does, Oakland officials said they will bring in other outside investigators to review the case."These charges are very serious," Police Chief Wayne Tucker said Tuesday. "We want the facts known."City Attorney John Russo, who was in on the decision...

With his son facing a 14-year prison stretch for multiple sexual assaults, Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente has gone on the attack against the Police Department - accusing investigators of blowing the case out of proportion because they wanted to destroy his political career as he embarked on a campaign for mayor. De La Fuente, who came in second to Ron Dellums in last year's race, made the accusations in a series of interviews with us and on a Web site that he and his wife have launched - with a telling name, www.delafuenteconspiracy.com. On the Web...

OAKLAND - Ignacio De La Fuente Jr. admitted in court this morning to raping and sexual assaulting four women he picked up on the streets of Fruitvale, bringing an abrupt end to what was becoming a sensational trial. In exchange for pleading guilt, De La Fuente Jr. will not face the 25 years to life in prison he would have if a jury convicted him of the five charges filed against him. Instead he will remain behind bars until at least his 46th birthday. He will also be classified for the rest of his life as a sexual predator. Three...

Oakland, Calif. -- After nearly two weeks of ballot counting, former Rep. Ron Dellums emerged as the winner of the Oakland mayor's race Saturday when his chief rival said he would not challenge the election results. City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente called Dellums at home to concede, said Mike Healy, a spokesman for Dellums' campaign. "Ignacio was very gracious," Healy said. "He said he wants to work with Ron for a better Oakland, and that it was a great campaign." De La Fuente campaign officials would not confirm that he made the concession call, but they scheduled a...

OAKLAND - The adult son of Oakland City Councilman and mayoral hopeful Ignacio De La Fuente pleaded not guilty this morning to three new sexual assault charges. Ignacio De La Fuente Jr., 32, entered his pleas during a brief appearance in Alameda County Superior court, where it was confirmed that the new charges stem from alleged attacks on two women in 2003. Citing a gag order, attorneys in the case would not elaborate on the charges outside court. In the courtroom of Judge Winifred Smith, defense attorney Robert Beles cited the penal code sections of the new charges: assault with...

OAKLAND - The adult son of Oakland City Councilman and mayoral hopeful Ignacio De La Fuente is facing new felony sexual assault charges in addition to a pair of rapes he is accused of committing in Oakland. Ignacio De La Fuente Jr., 32, appeared this morning in Alameda County Superior Court, where a prosecutor said he plans to file the additional charges. "There's an amended complaint with new charges,'' Kevin Murphy, a deputy district attorney, told Judge Winifred Smith. Murphy said, however, that the new charges will not be formally filed until De La Fuente Jr.'s next court appearance, scheduled...

Ignacio Rafael De La Fuente Jr., the 32-year-old son of the Oakland City Council president, pleaded not guilty to rape charges in an Oakland courtroom on Tuesday. De La Fuente Jr. is charged with two counts of forcible rape and several related enhancements. His attorney, Jesse Garcia, entered a plea as De La Fuente Jr. stood in street clothes before Alameda County Superior Judge Winifred Smith. De La Fuente Jr. has been in jail without bail since his arrest April 29. Ignacio De La Fuente, Rafael's father, who is running to replace Mayor Jerry Brown next year, attended the hearing....

His head hung low, his voice barely audible and the energy seemingly sapped away, Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente resembles a weary, battered boxer struggling to find a second wind between rounds. The odds-on favorite to become Oakland's next mayor, and who typically exudes a swaggering confidence, is trying to shake off the effects of a 1-2 punch that has knocked him off his feet. Last week, his namesake son was arrested on charges that he beat and raped a 15-year-old girl who was abducted off a street last month in the Fruitvale neighborhood that his father...

An Alameda County judge denied bail Friday to the son of Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, saying the rape charges he faces make him "a danger to the community and the women in the community." As he was led back to jail, Ignacio Rafael De La Fuente Jr., 32, of Redwood City, nodded to his parents and sister after Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith made her ruling in an Oakland courtroom. De La Fuente Jr. is due back in court May 25 to enter pleas to two counts of forcible rape for allegedly attacking a 15-year-old girl...

Son of Oakland City Councilman Tied to Second Rape Source: kcbs Publication date: 2005-05-03 (KCBS) - Ignacio De La Fuente, Jr. was charged with two counts of forcible rape during his arraignment Tuesday. The thirty-one year old turned himself in last Friday in connection with the sexual assault of a 15-year old girl. KCBS reporter Bob Melrose said courtroom observers were surprised to learn of the second sexual assault charge during today's court appearance. The judge issued a restraining order against De La Fuente, Jr. for two different women. The Oakland Tribune reports that the second charge he now faces...

OAKLAND - The adult son of Oakland City Council President and mayoral candidate Ignacio De La Fuente was arrested today on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl two weeks ago, police said. Accompanied by an attorney, Ignacio Rafael De La Fuente Jr., 32, of Redwood City surrendered at Oakland police headquarters at 12:10 a.m. Police Officer Danielle Ashford said he was booked on charges of forcible rape and kidnapping. The alleged assault occurred April 16 in Oakland's Fruitvale district. Ashford said the victim was a 15-year-old girl, but she declined to divulge other details about the case or whether...