Jacob Ogles
A Tampa man has pleaded guilty to illegally voting. It’s the second time in eight days a statewide prosecutor secured a conviction for such a crime.
Hubert Jack was among six Hillsborough County men arrested in a controversial crackdown announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis last fall. Jack entered a guilty plea to voting despite not being qualified to do so, and to false affirmation. He faced sentences of up to five years in prison for each charge, but with the change of plea agreed to six months of probation.
Jack entered the plea on his 66th birthday.
The sentence is identical to one handed down to Byron Smith, a Tampa man who pleaded guilty last week to voting illegally in the 2020 election.
Jack was previously convicted of sexual battery following an arrest in 1991.
Both Jack and Smith entered guilty pleas weeks after a new law went into effect allowing a statewide prosecutor to take up voting cases.
The Legislature in a Special Session passed a law giving the statewide prosecutor authority to handle election-related cases when votes were cast in elections spanning multiple judicial circuits. Cases previously had been handled by local State Attorney’s Offices.
The statewide prosecutor reports to Attorney General Ashley Moody.
After the round of arrests in August, many defendants said they believed they had lawfully registered. Judges have dismissed charges in some instances already and some local State Attorneys voiced reluctance to bring charges.
Florida voters in 2018 passed a constitutional amendment saying convicts should automatically have voting rights restored after completing their sentences and meeting financial obligations to the state. But that amendment excluded those convicted of sex crimes and murder.
Of the arrests announced in August, five have now been convicted of voting illegally in the 2020 election.
In November, Romona Oliver of Tampa pleaded no contest to voting illegally. In February, Luis Villaran pleaded guilty in Palm Beach County to similar charges as Jack.
On March 3, Nathan Hart of Gibsonton was found guilty of voting illegally and sentenced to two years of probation and 100 community service hours.
3 comments
PeterH
March 29, 2023 at 12:26 pm
DeSantis’s $10 million dollar voter fraud agency has two convictions!
Daytona Phyllis
March 29, 2023 at 12:45 pm
Anyone who believes in not only democracy, but basic fairness should be outraged by this autocratic injustice and abuse of governmental power. The obvious fact here is the governor and legislature specifically intended to stifle black voters’ participation, and also scare people away from voting.
By the way…what became of the case against the GOP voters who lived in the Villages but voted illegally in a very intentional act? Did the “statewide prosecutor” being charges against them as well?
Governmental abuse of citizens’ voting rights; governmental bullying of private corporation; governmental targeting of gay children…none of this sounds like the acts of a “free state”.
Sounds more like Putin’s Russia. And it’s sickening.
Rob Desantos
March 29, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Waste of time and taxpayer resources — big government GOP strikes again.
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