FLORDIA – A Seattle man, who sent fake voter eligibility letters to Republican Party donors in an attempt to suppress voter turnout in Florida in 2012, plead guilty today to one count of voter intimidation, federal officials said today.
James Webb Baker Jr., 58, of Seattle, also plead guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of identification fraud.
“My office is committed to aggressively protecting the integrity of the election process,” said U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III for the Middle District of Florida. “Each citizen must be able to vote without intimidation or discrimination and to have that vote counted. It is imperative that those who have specific information about intimidation, discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my office, the FBI or the Civil Rights Division.”
“This joint investigative effort is yet another example of the fortitude and commitment of our collective agencies to protect our citizen’s individual and constitutional rights,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal for the FBI Tampa Field Office.
When contacted by phone in Seattle, the Miami Herald stated in a report that Baker’s lawyer John Fitzgibbons said, “Mr. Baker regrets the events which led to these charges. He has acknowledged and accepted responsibility for his actions and we look forward to the conclusion of this matter.”
Baker is facing up to six years and more than $350,000 in fines when he is sentenced, authorities said.
According to the evidence, Baker read in October 2012 about efforts of Florida Governor and Florida Secretary of State to remove the names of voters from the official Florida county lists of eligible voters.
Angered by what he believed to be an attempt to suppress voter turnout, specifically of Hispanic voters who would vote for candidates of the Democratic Party, officials said Baker created “false” or “copycat” voter eligibility letters of the actual letters sent by county officials.
Baker sent his letters to 200 Republican Party donors, questioning their eligibility to vote.
The letters required they complete a voter eligibility form within 15 days or else their name would be removed from the voter registration rolls. Baker inserted a line of text in bold stating that a non-registered voter who casts a vote may be subject to criminal sanctions, officials said.
The letters looked almost identical to official county Supervisor of Elections letters, and included the county official’s name, letterhead, address and contact information, officials said.
During the plea proceedings, officials claim that Baker admitted to making several changes to the original official letters in order to stress the threats that the recipients would lose their right to vote and/or be imprisoned if they did not first document their citizenship and right to vote in person to the registrar.