Miami influencer Alex Otaola faces defamation lawsuit involving minor accuser

Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald on May 13, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MIAMI — A lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade court accuses Cuban American influencer and former Miami-Dade Republican mayoral candidate Alexander Otaola of helping publicly expose and defame a minor who had accused one of Otaola’s political allies of unlawful sexual conduct.

The 35-page complaint, filed by Ronaldo Mosqueda Toledo, claims Otaola and attorney Lisbet Velazquez used Otaola’s online show, “Hola! Ota-Ola,” to reveal the identity of the teen, who was 17 at the time of the sexual misconduct allegation, and portrayed him as “a psychopath,” “a rat” and “a despicable human being” during a July 18, 2025, broadcast streamed on YouTube and other social media platforms.

The lawsuit says Otaola and Velazquez knowingly disclosed identifying information about a minor whose identity was protected under Florida law after the teen reported alleged sexual abuse by Andy Santana Zamora, a former campaign treasurer for Otaola’s 2024 Miami-Dade mayoral campaign.

The former campaign manager for Otaola was arrested on Oct. 3, 2024, and charged with sexually assaulting a Hialeah teen after providing him with drugs.

However, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office ultimately dropped charges against Santana after the 17-year-old accuser recanted his statements to prosecutors, television interviewers and on social media, according to court records.

According to the lawsuit, Otaola and Velazquez not only attacked the teen’s credibility during the broadcast, but also encouraged viewers to “monitor” and “surveil” him and report information back to Velazquez. The suit claims those actions amounted to defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of privacy protections for victims of sexual offenses.

The suit also claims Otaola’s media company, OTACA Media Productions, benefited financially from the broadcast through advertising, sponsorships and audience engagement tied to the controversy.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against Otaola, Velazquez, Santana and OTACA Media Productions.

The Miami Herald attempted to reach Santana, Otaola and Velazquez for comment. Santana and Velazquez did not respond to calls, text or emails, and Otaola declined to comment.

After losing the election against Levine Cava, Otaola focused his efforts on challenging her victory. A push for a recall effort to oust her from office failed.