THE VILLAGES, Fla. – A 58-year-old man is the latest resident from The Villages to be accused of fraud related to the 2020 elections.
Robert Rivernider was arrested Friday in Sumter County on charges of fraud in connection with casting a vote and forgery of a public record.
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According to a complaint filed by Sumter County Elections Supervisor Bill Keen with the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security, Rivernider is accused of signing a vote-by-mail ballot for his father in 2020. Keen said the ballot was signed and dated Oct. 16, 2020, but postmarked on Oct. 23, 2020.
However, Keen said Rivernider’s father died on Oct. 19, 2020. Keen also said a comparison of the signatures between father and soon appeared to be similar in 2020. However, Keen said previous versions of the father’s signature were different.
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.
Rivernider also served time 80 months in federal prison for mortgage fraud, which he was sentenced for in 2013. He was granted compassionate release in May 2020.
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, however, is facing felony charges under the Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security, which Gov. Ron DeSantis established in 2022.
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