Gladson’s office declined to prosecute six sex offenders who voted in 2020, in cases similar to those brought by Gov. State Attorney Bill Gladson speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Three were registered as Republicans and three were registered Democrats, according to public records.Īn annual report by the Florida Department of State released in January said there were nine pending investigations and seven preliminary investigations into “unqualified electors willfully voting” in Gladson’s district. Kylie Mason, a spokesperson for Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office, in an email said the state “does not have any active prosecutions involving” the six sex offenders, who lived in Leesburg, Eustis, Clermont and Crystal River when they cast their ballots, according to records provided by the local elections office. A spokesperson for that agency in an unsigned statement said the state was notified about the cases, though “not by our office.” Gladson in an email said his office did not notify DeSantis’ office or state investigators about the cases. In the year since the letter was written by a supervisor in Gladson’s office, no ex-felons in that circuit, including the six sex offenders, have been arrested for illegally voting, a felony charge punishable by $5,000 and up to 5 years in prison.Īccording to the letter, the Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office flagged the six cases for Gladson’s staff to review. Gladson and his staff concluded, however, that the cases could not be prosecuted because the fraud was not willful - a rationale that attorneys say applies equally to many of the voter fraud cases currently being pursued by the Office of Statewide Prosecution. The office of State Attorney Bill Gladson, whose district includes The Villages and five Republican counties, confirmed six convicted sex offenders in Lake County had voted in the 2020 general election, according to a determination letter obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Ron DeSantis’ election police unit and statewide prosecutors. A Republican state attorney last May declined to prosecute six voter fraud cases that involved circumstances strikingly similar to the cases later brought against 20 ex-felons by Gov.
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