OCALA, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has arrested a paid petition circulator in Florida after she allegedly submitted 16 petitions with fraudulent signatures.
Maria Guadalupe Bautista, 24, of Ocala, was arrested on 16 counts of fraudulent use of personal identifying information, said the FDLE.
She was booked into the Alachua County Jail last week, and bail was set at $80,000.
Investigators from the office of Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office worked on the case.
According to the FDLE, the case began in November 2021 when FDLE agents met with the Marion County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) about a complaint of widespread fraud related to a constitutional amendment for the limited authorization of casino gaming.
The SOE staff identified 767 petition forms suspected of being forged. Bautista reportedly turned in 191 of the suspected fraudulent forms.
The investigation allegedly found that 16 petitions submitted by Bautista contained fraudulent signatures. Two of the 16 forged petitions she submitted to the SOE were for individuals who were deceased prior to the date on the signed forms, said the FDLE.
The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, Fifth Judicial Circuit.
The investigation is still ongoing.
