Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced charges against Gerald Kight, a registered sexual offender and convicted felon, for voter fraud. Kight faces multiple counts related to voting unlawfully in the 2024 Presidential Preference Primary, the 2024 Primary Election, and the 2024 General Election in Putnam County.
"We must protect the sanctity and integrity of our republican form of government," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "This convicted felon, who is also a registered child sex offender, attempted multiple times to register to vote. After acknowledging twice that he wasn’t eligible, he lied on a subsequent voter registration application to participate in the 2024 election cycle unlawfully. Our Statewide Prosecutors will ensure he is held accountable. I would like to thank Secretary Cord Byrd and Brad McVey for their dedication to Florida’s election integrity efforts."
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement received a complaint about Kight in November 2024 from the Florida Department of State's Office of Election Crimes and Security. The complaint detailed that Kight knowingly participated in three elections as a convicted felon without having his rights restored. His criminal record includes a conviction from 1999 for attempted lewd or lascivious assault upon a child in St. Johns County, and he remains registered as a sex offender as of March 2025.
Investigations revealed that since 2022, Kight made at least two attempts to register to vote but was informed each time that he was not eligible due to his status as a felon. Despite acknowledging these notices, Kight submitted false information on a voter registration form in 2023 and proceeded to vote in the following year's elections.
Kight now faces three counts of unqualified elector willfully voting and one count of false affirmation concerning voting or elections, all classified as third-degree felonies.
Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Sophia Birriel-Sanchez will handle the prosecution within Florida's Seventh Judicial Circuit.