Two Florida men charged with filing ballots in two states in the 2020 presidential election confessed to voter fraud, according to court records.
Charles F. Barnes and Jay Ketcik, residents of The Villages in Sumter County, Fla., pleaded guilty to casting more than one ballot in the election. Voter fraud is a third-degree felony that can result in a maximum five-year prison sentence.
Barnes, 64, and Ketcik, 63, will be able to defer prosecution if they abide by the court-ordered requirements that State Attorney Bill Gladson set, according to pretrial intervention documents. The men will avoid further punishment if they complete 50 hours of community service, attend a 12-week adult civics class and meet regularly with a supervising officer, among a handful of other requirements….
Ketcik, a registered Republican, was among three Central Florida residents who had expressed support for former president Donald Trump before being arrested in December following reports that they cast more than one vote during the 2020 election, according to various Florida news media outlets. Barnes, who has no party affiliation, was arrested in January and faced similar charges. Both men were released from jail after paying a $2,000 bond. Neither man responded to efforts to reach them for comment.
Ketcik voted by mail in Florida along with casting an absentee ballot in Michigan, prosecutors say. An arrest report shows that Barnes previously had an address in Connecticut.
Seems like a pretty light sentence compared to some punishments doled out to others….