Florida Elected Officials Charged in Wild Scheme Involving Fake Endorsements

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Five people have been charged in connection with an alleged fake voter guide scheme in Florida, including three elected officials.

St. Johns County Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst, and St. Augustine Beach city commissioner and former mayor Dylan Rumrell were charged with conspiracy and taking part in producing a false voter guide. Authorities said the guide was distributed in 2024 in St. Johns County as primary elections were kicking off.

ABC News first reported on accusations of “dirty tricks” in 2024 after the voter guides set off major alarms in Florida. They were sent out just days before early voting kicked off on August 10.

“I saw the card, and I’m like, this is a real issue,” St. John’s County GOP Chair Denver Cook told ABC at the time. “I was in shock. I’m dealing with one of probably the most flagrant frauds on voters — the day before early voting. It became an instant train wreck.”

According to charging documents, Campaign manager Brianna Jordan “developed a scheme” to create confusion in the election by creating a false voter guide similar to the official one sent out by the local Republican Party. The fake guide, however, included false endorsements.

A “secret envelope stuffing” operation was allegedly carried out at Jordan’s office, with the campaign manager getting “in excess of 10,000 fraudulent voter guides” and approximately 20,000 postage stamps. They were then allegedly mailed from Jacksonville and Orlando to conceal their origin.

One of Jordan’s interns at the time, who now has an immunity agreement, told authorities that Jordan requested at one point that he purchase a “kettle grill” in cash after she saw a news report about the fake mailers on local TV. Some of the fake guides were then allegedly burned with the grill.

The intern also claimed Whitehurst’s mother was even involved with the scheme, slapping stamps on fake voter guides to be sent out.

According to authorities, after the “kettle grill” burning, Jordan also reached out to shredding companies. She is also facing a charge for tampering with evidence. Authorities said they spoke to dozens of voters who remembered receiving the fake guides.

Ann-Marie Evans was running against Whitehurst and had the endorsement of the St. Johns County GOP, which voters knew if they saw the real voter guide. Whitehurt, however, had the endorsement, according to the other guide. Other candidates and local officials have also been condemning the alleged actions of those being charged.

“Absolutely, I believe that is what shifted the election from a victory for me to a victory for my opponent,” Evans told local media.

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