Two paid petition collectors are facing charges from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for allegedly submitting fake signatures in support of a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights, as stated in a news release on Tuesday.
George Edward Andrews III, 30, from Dade City, has been arrested and booked into the Hernando County Jail on ten felony counts, including criminal use of personal identification information and forging signatures on petitions.
An arrest warrant has also been issued for Jamie L. Johnson, 47, from the same city, facing the same charges. The FDLE alleges that the duo submitted 133 invalid petitions across Sumter, Hernando, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.
The FDLE’s Election Crime Unit collaborated with the Florida Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security, established by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature in 2022, according to the news release.
The department mentioned the possibility of additional charges, and the cases will be handled by the Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, along with State Attorney Bruce Bartlett’s office.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd declared in a statement that,”Florida’s Constitution is a sacred document and there is a lawful method by which voters can make amendments.”
“However, when criminals seek to circumvent that process fraudulently, this is an affront to Floridians and the sanctity of our laws, and we will do everything within our power to ensure that Floridians and our Constitution are protected.”‘
The suggested constitutional amendment, designed to guarantee the right to abortion in Florida, has garnered over 996,000 citizen signatures. This surpasses the required amount by 100,000 for its inclusion on the November statewide general election ballot.
The Florida Supreme Court is tasked with reviewing and approving the ballot language, with oral arguments scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
