A Palm Beach County man has been arrested in connection with the theft of sensitive election equipment tied to a recent special election, according to local law enforcement officials.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported that John D. Panicci, 59, of Lake Worth, was taken into custody Saturday and charged with theft after investigators determined he allegedly removed an encrypted access key from a voter registration terminal at the county’s Supervisor of Elections Office.
Authorities said the incident occurred March 19 during a training session for volunteers assisting with the March 24 special election for Florida House District 87. Investigators believe Panicci attended the session and used the opportunity to take the encrypted key, which is used to access election system databases. Reports indicate that Panicci is a registered Democrat.
Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Panicci’s residence, where they recovered the missing key along with electronic and digital storage devices. He was subsequently booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on $6,000 bail and ordered by a judge to have no contact with the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Officials emphasized that the stolen key provided access only to training databases and not to live voter systems or voting machines, and there is no indication that the integrity of the election was compromised.
The arrest comes just days after voters in Palm Beach County participated in a closely watched special election to fill the vacant House District 87 seat. The election was triggered after former State Rep. Mike Caruso resigned to become the county’s clerk of court and comptroller.
The March 24 contest drew statewide attention after Democrat Emily Gregory won the race, flipping a traditionally Republican-held seat in a district that includes former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
The case remains under investigation, and additional charges could be considered as authorities continue reviewing the circumstances surrounding the theft.
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