Two more sentences handed down in jail voter registration case

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dedrick De’ron Baldwin, 47, and Therris Lee Conney, Jr., 33, have each entered into plea deals to serve 364 days on charges of fraudulently voting and fraudulently registering to vote.

Baldwin, who is serving a 12-year state prison sentence for negligent homicide, aggravated battery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, entered a plea of nolo contendere to two counts of perjury for falsely swearing that he was eligible to vote and two counts of fraudulent voting by an unqualified voter. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, to be served concurrently with his state prison sentence.

Conney, who is serving a 5-year state prison sentence for selling marijuana, robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of perjury for falsely swearing that he was eligible to vote and one count of fraudulent voting by an unqualified voter. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, to be served concurrently with his state prison sentence.

The two men are among at least ten convicted felons who registered to vote in the summer of 2020 at the Alachua County Jail but were unqualified to vote for various reasons; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigation into the allegations found that Baldwin illegally voted in both the 2020 Primary Election and General Election and falsely stated on the voter registration application that he was not a convicted felon or that his rights had been restored. According to the FDLE investigator, Baldwin spontaneously stated, “I’ve always been able to vote” and “everyone in that housing unit registered and voted.” The investigation found that Conney voted illegally in the 2020 General Election.

The maximum sentence for Baldwin would have been 20 years, with a maximum sentence for Conney of 10 years.

Daniel Roberts was sentenced last month to three years in state prison on similar charges – two counts of fraudulent voting and one count of perjury. His sentence did not extend his release date. Arthur Lang was sentenced to 18 months in state prison a few days later.

Six defendants still have open cases:

• Xavier Lavell Kevon Artis is in the Alachua County Jail awaiting trial;
• Kelvin Bolton is in the Alachua County Jail awaiting trial;
• John Boyd Rivers has not been arrested, but charges have been filed;
• Leroy James Ross, Jr., is out on bond awaiting trial;
• Henry T. Shuler, III, is serving a 6 year, 6 month sentence in state prison, and a detainer has been filed;
• Christopher T. Wiggins is serving an 11-year sentence in state prison, and a detainer has been filed.