THE VILLAGES, Fla. – A resident from The Villages was found guilty of charges related to voter fraud in the 2020 election on Monday.
Robert Rivernider Jr., 58, is accused of signing his father’s name to a vote-by-mail ballot. According to Sumter County Elections Supervisor Bill Keen, Rivernider’s father died on Oct. 19, 2020. He had a ballot dated and signed on Oct. 16, 2020, and postmarked on Oct. 23, 2020.
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However, Keen said the signature on the ballot was different than previous versions of the father’s signature in the agency’s records, and was also very similar to Rivernider’s own signature in 2020.
Rivernider was found guilty of forgery to alter public records, fraud in connection with casting a vote, and pass counterfeit instrument, which are felony charges. He could face several years in prison.
Rivernider is a Republican Party activist, with a website that touts his experience with several party campaigns, including the Trump and Bush/Cheney presidential campaigns and the Laura Loomer congressional campaign in 2022.
Several residents from The Villages have faced charges in the last few years for voter fraud related to the 2020 election. News 6 has reported that at least four Villages residents were charged with voting twice in the election. All of them entered into a pre-trial intervention program to avoid potential prison time.
Rivernider’s case, however, stemmed from a complaint filed through the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security, which Gov. Ron DeSantis established in 2022. The case was then investigated and prosecuted through the state attorney’s office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit.
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