Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of Alexandria Mary Beatrice Tatem on charges of Perjury by False Written Declaration, a third-degree felony in Florida. The arrest is the result of an investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Office of Executive Investigations and the Elections Crime Unit.
“We will not tolerate fraud, let alone fraud that undermines the integrity of Florida’s nation-leading election system or uses the names of deceased voters to change our state’s constitution,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “This arrest shows our commitment to upholding the law and protecting the sanctity of Florida’s elections. My office will continue to lead the charge against any form of voter fraud in Florida.”
Investigators found that Tatem, a registered Paid Petition Circulator (PPC), submitted a petition supporting a constitutional amendment initiative titled Adult Personal Use of Marijuana (Amendment 25-01), which is sponsored by Smart & Safe Florida. The petition was allegedly signed by Amy Akins, who died on January 10, 2024—over a year before the signature date provided. The petition was filed with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
Florida law requires PPCs to swear under penalty of perjury that each petition they submit was signed in their presence by the named voter. Tatem signed an affidavit affirming this process for the petition in question. During a sworn interview with FDLE officials on July 1, 2025, in Killeen, Texas, Tatem admitted to signing and submitting the petition after being informed that Akins had died prior to when she supposedly signed it.
The investigation also established that Tatem had been registered as a PPC with the Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections since 2019 and collected petitions in both Tampa Bay and Sarasota regions. Election officials were able to detect the fraudulent petition because it bore a signature from someone who had died before its purported signing date.
Tatem faces one count of Perjury by False Written Declaration, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
