Robert Rivernider Jr. is facing accusations that he forged the signature on his dead father’s mail ballot in the 2020 election.
Rivernider Jr. gained early release from prison in May 2020 on fraud charges, bilking investors out of $25 million (for which he still owes $22 million in restitution, which he pays back at $400/month). So you'd think that he'd think twice before committing fraud again by forging his just-dead father's signature on a mail-in ballot. But you'd be wrong.
And do I really have to point out by now that he's a Trump supporter? This is the fourth or fifth voter fraud case from The Villages.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
A Republican activist who supports former President Donald Trump in The Villages is facing voter fraud accusations that he forged the signature on his dead father’s mail ballot in the 2020 election.
Robert Rivernider Jr., 58, was charged last week with forgery of a public record and fraud in connection with casting a vote, according to court records in Sumter County. A convicted felon released from prison in May 2020, he owes $22 million in restitution to victims of an investment scam, court records show.
His latest charges stem from a ballot that was postmarked Oct. 23, 2020, four days after Rivernider’s father died, Walter Forgie, chief assistant state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, said on Tuesday.
A handwriting expert determined the ballot had been forged, he said.
A sterling individual. But there's more. Rivenrider said the charges were politically motivated.
“People who don’t like my effectiveness in helping President Trump want to take me out,” he said, calling the charges politically motivated.
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Rivernider said he is a Villagers for Trump board member and worked as a field coordinator for the Republican Party of Florida in support of Trump’s campaign in 2020.He volunteered for congressional candidate Laura Loomer in 2022. She was defeated by U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster in the GOP primary.
According to the Associated Press, Rivernider blamed DeSantis supporters for his arrest.
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Rivernider said he planned to plead not guilty. He blamed the charges on a local political rivalry between himself, an active Trump supporter, and local officials supporting DeSantis, who also is a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. He pointed out that charges were filed almost three years after the election.
