NAPLES, Fla. — A Naples man was arrested Tuesday after he changed Governor Ron DeSantis voter information.
According to a Sheriff’s report, the Governor went to vote at his designated voting location when he was notified that an unknown person had changed his primary address in the Florida voter database.
Governor DeSantis did not authorize the change and alerted FDLE.
During an investigation, FDLE found that the change was made by an IP address located in Naples.
A search warrant was issued for the address of the IP address, and when authorities arrived, they met three individuals there, Anthony Steven Guevara, Emilio Acevedo, and Rosa Acevedo.
Agents obtained a statement from Anthony Steven Guevara, 20. Guevara admitted to changing the voter information by putting Governor DeSantis information he got off of Wikipedia.
Guevara also stated he accessed other voter registrations such as Senator Rick Scott, Michael Joran, and Lebron James, but only changed Governor DeSantis.
Officials say Guevara used publicly accessible voter data, and there is no evidence to suggest that the changes he made were through the Florida Department of State.
“Our systems are secure. There has been no breach to the Florida Department of State’s systems,” says Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee. “The Florida Department of State wants every voter to have confidence in the integrity of our elections network.”
Voters are encouraged to check their registration for accuracy.
Guevara is facing charges of property crime and altering voter registration without consent. He's out of the Collier County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
Guevara is set for a court appearance on November 23.
The full arrest report can be viewed here.
Full Statement from the Secretary of State, Laurel M. Lee:
Our systems are secure. There has been no breach to the Florida Department of State’s systems. The Florida Department of State wants every voter to have confidence in the integrity of our elections network.
This incident was perpetrated using publicly accessible voter data, and there is no evidence to suggest that this change was made through the Florida Department of State. We commend the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on their swift action to bringing this malicious actor to justice. The situation was corrected immediately and the voter was able to cast a ballot.
We encourage voters to check their voter registration for accuracy. Every eligible Florida voter will have the ability to cast a ballot and every ballot will be counted. We are working hard to ensure the safety and security of every voter.
