Former Miramar Mayoral Candidate (and 'Poet of Pain') Pleads Guilty to Pandemic Fraud

A former City of Miramar mayoral candidate — who once waxed poetic about "love, pain, and redemption" in a self-published book — is now facing a far less metaphorical struggle: a guilty plea in federal court.

Rudy Theophin, 41, of Miramar, admitted Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale District Court that he fraudulently obtained $123,675 in COVID-19 relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

In a six-page plea agreement, Theophin pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud tied to a loan he secured in June 2020 on behalf of his business, Theophin Consulting LLC — a company that, according to prosecutors, did not exist when he claimed it did.

In loan documents, Theophin Consulting allegedly boasted of having eight employees and an average monthly payroll of $49,470. Theophin even submitted tax forms showing an annual payroll of $583,640 in 2019.

There was just one problem: Bank records revealed Theophin Consulting didn't open a bank account until June 30, 2020 — about 17 days before he filed the PPP loan application. Florida Department of Revenue records showed no reported wages, employees, or activity for the business in 2019 or early 2020.

As for the funds? Roughly $23,000 went to third parties, $26,000 landed in a Raymond James investment account, and about $35,000 went toward a condo purchase in Miramar, prosecutors said.

According to a warranty deed obtained by New Times, Theophin and Desmane Christine Campbell closed on a unit at a Miramar apartment complex on December 23, 2020. The pair later tied the knot via a notary public on November 23, 2024 — just 16 days before the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a criminal "information" against Theophin.

(For the record, a criminal "information" is a formal charge brought by prosecutors that doesn't require the drama of a grand jury — a streamlined process invoked when the evidence is so painfully obvious that even the ancient Romans would've shrugged and said, res ipsa loquitur — the thing speaks for itself.)

Why settle for small-time fraud when you can go full baller? Theophin also applied for forgiveness of the entire $123,675 loan in January 2022, falsely claiming that he used the money to pay his eight employees. After all, the pesky truth need not get in the way when you're crafting your own narrative.

This isn't Theophin's first foray into hardship. In 2008, he self-published My Sweet and Blissful Memories of Pain, a 340-page poetry manuscript promising "love, pain, and redemption."

"My poems are about the many feelings that we all experience, the let downs, the struggles, the anxiety, the sacrifices," Theophin wrote in the book's Amazon description.

The book, however, has zero reviews on Amazon, which may come as a surprise given its deep insights into struggles, anxiety, and sacrifices — themes he'd later bring to life in a federal courtroom.

In 2023, Theophin ran for mayor of Miramar, challenging incumbent Wayne Messam, who won reelection and is now serving his third term. Though Theophin's campaign prioritized affordable housing, crime prevention, and civic engagement, he garnered a paltry 9.83 percent of the vote, according to the Broward Elections website.

Messam did not return a message from New Times seeking comment on his poetic opponent's guilty plea.

"Together we are ordinary people doing extraordinary things," Theophin proudly proclaimed on his campaign website — a slogan that, in light of his recent legal troubles, might now be more aptly interpreted by federal prosecutors as a not-so-subtle hint at his extraordinary knack for fraud.

Theophin faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to the greater of twice the gross gain or loss, or $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for July 15 before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith in Fort Lauderdale.

No word yet on whether Theophin plans to release My Sweet and Blissful Memories of Prison from behind bars.