Florida woman charged with 12 counts of identity theft in marijuana petition scandal: AG – WPEC
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by Skyler Shepard
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida petition circulator is accused of turning votersignature sheets into a trove for identity theft — and investigators say the trail of fraudulent registrations led straight back to her.
Prosecutors say 41-year-old Teagen Marie Targhuhanuchi of Titusville exploited her role as a paid petition circulator for Smart & Safe Florida by collecting signatures for the group’s recreationalmarijuana amendment and then using signers’ personal information to submit fraudulent voterregistration applications without their permission.
Investigators found that Targhuhanuchi attended multiple events to gather signatures for Ballot Initiative 2501, which seeks to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida. After collecting petition forms, she allegedly stole the personal details of those who signed and used that information to fill out and submit falsified voter registrations.
See Related: Florida launches 46 new probes after over 7,100 suspect marijuana petitions were verified
She now faces 12 counts of identity theft, 12 counts of submitting fraudulent voter information, and one count of identity theft involving more than 10 people, according to AG Uthmeier. The investigation was conducted by the Office of Election Crimes & Security and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after a report from the Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections flagged irregular registration activity tied to the petitioning effort.
Attorney General James Uthmeier condemned the scheme, calling it a direct assault on Florida’s election system and vowing accountability for anyone involved in similar conduct.
The case will be prosecuted by the Office of Statewide Prosecution in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida, according to the news release.
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