DON VAN NATTA Jr. AND JEFF LEEN Herald Staff Writers

Lula Rodriguez, a top aide for U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, worked on the re-election campaign of Raul Martinez , the convicted felon whom some of Reno's prosecutors are fighting to keep convicted. Rodriguez said Friday that she witnessed the signing of absentee ballots and "made some calls" for the Martinez campaign before last week's mayoral run-off election in Hialeah.

"I didn't do anything improper," said Rodriguez, whose sister is Raul Martinez 's wife. "If I had seen the least improper thing, I would have told Raul."

Martinez was convicted of extortion by a federal jury in 1991, and sentenced to 10 years. His conviction is now in the hands of a federal appeals court.

Rodriguez, who schedules appointments for Reno, said she came to Dade for a quick vacation on Friday, Nov. 5, and stayed over the weekend prior to the run-off election.

Rodriguez said she didn't come to work on the election, but was in town because her sister had asked for support during a "hard time" for her family. Besides shopping and visiting friends, Rodriguez spent several days at the campaign headquarters.

"Whenever someone came by the office or were going to vote absentee, and they needed a witness for the signature, I signed for it," she said.

Rodriguez signed 11 absentee ballots at the headquarters, records show. Some of those were among the hundreds challenged by defeated candidate Nilo Juri in a lawsuit filed Friday.

Each absentee ballot requires the signatures of two witnesses. Rodriguez signed her full name, "Maria Del Pillar Rodriguez." She listed a Hialeah address.

"I want to make sure that I don't embarrass the attorney general in any way," Rodriguez said Friday, choking back tears. "If that is the case, I'm going home."