Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced 46 new criminal investigations Tuesday related to alleged fraud in the marijuana legalization petition drive, escalating a probe that has led to nine petition circulators that have been arrested, or had warrants issued, with at least six more pending.
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The investigations target petition circulators, who allegedly submitted fraudulent signatures for Smart & Safe Florida's campaign to put adult marijuana use on the ballot. Uthmeier also issued four criminal subpoenas seeking records from Smart & Safe Florida and its contractors.
"Recently obtained documents show that Smart & Safe Florida knew about dozens of fraudsters turning in over 21,000 petitions and failed to inform law enforcement," Uthmeier said in a news release. "Florida's Constitution is not for sale, and we will not allow a mega marijuana corporation to hijack our state's governing document."
The Office of Statewide Prosecution reviewed records showing approximately 50 petition circulators associated with Smart & Safe Florida submitted more than 21,600 petitions for the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana ballot measure, the release said. Of those petitions, over 14,500 raised significant concerns, including mismatched signatures, and were invalidated by election officials.
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However, approximately 7,100 petitions submitted by these circulators were verified as valid by Florida Supervisors of Elections, raising concerns about fraudulent signatures that passed initial screening.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution anticipates additional arrests in the coming weeks as investigations near completion, according to the release.
The four criminal subpoenas being issued will require Smart & Safe Florida, their contractors and subcontractors to produce documents relating to the alleged fraud, the release said.
Statewide Prosecutor Brad McVay sent the letter below to the special agent in charge at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement outlining the investigation's scope and required records:
