WASHINGTON (WFLA) — A Russian nationwide and an Uzbek nationwide have been arrested for allegedly submitting over 100 faux voter registration functions in Pinellas County, the U.S. Division of Justice mentioned Monday.
Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, and Sanjar Jamilov, 33, have been each charged with one rely of conspiring to submit fraudulent voter registration functions and provides false info in registering to vote.
Shushlebin, who’s from Russia, was dwelling in Miami Seashore on the time of the alleged crimes, whereas Jamilov, who’s from Uzbekistan, was dwelling in St. Petersburg, the DOJ mentioned.
The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections turned suspicious after receiving the voter functions in February and March 2023, in keeping with a felony grievance filed within the Center District of Florida.
The 132 functions have been submitted in envelopes with “identically formatted return and tackle labels,” the grievance mentioned. Every listed an actual residential tackle in Pinellas County, however bore the identify, date of start, and social safety variety of what seemed to be a fictitious individual.
The Supervisor of Elections in contrast the names to information on the Florida Division of Freeway Security and Motor Autos and concluded that not one of the candidates had ever been issued identification playing cards in Florida.
Officers mentioned there have been additionally a number of different crimson flags, together with that not one of the candidates had center names, a number of shared the identical date of start and practically all the addresses listed appeared a minimum of twice throughout the 132 functions.
A overview of USPS information revealed change of tackle requests for practically each tackle related to the voter functions — all of which investigators mentioned have been submitted only some days previous to the voter functions.
The requests routed mail to simply three addresses. Round 69 of the requests directed mail to the identical mailbox in Fort Myers, which authorities mentioned they traced to Shushlebin. He additionally used a second tackle on Logan Avenue.
One other 45 requests routed mail to an condominium on Gandy Boulevard, which is the place the second suspect, Jamilov, was dwelling on the time.
As a result of uncommon nature of the voter functions, the Supervisor of Elections in the end issued rejection letters to all 132 that have been submitted.
Authorities mentioned Shushlebin known as the Supervisor of Elections in Pinellas County on March 7, 2023, below the alias Foster Haugen — one of many names used on a voter registration utility — and requested why his utility had been denied.
Cellphone information reportedly confirmed to authorities that Shushlebin was the caller.
Web protocol (IP) addresses captured throughout the on-line voter registration course of, and units of fingerprints on the functions, additionally helped investigators determine the 2 suspects, in keeping with the grievance. Jamilov’s fingerprints have been reportedly discovered on a minimum of 30 of the functions.
Detectives consider Shushlebin might have been concerned in different fraudulent actions primarily based on the invention of a number of fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing the identical faux names.
If convicted, Shushlebin and Jamilov face a most penalty of 5 years in jail. A federal district court docket decide will decide any sentence after contemplating the U.S. Sentencing Pointers and different statutory components.