Election Crime Unit Arrests Eleven-Time Felon and Illegal Immigrant for Unlawfully Voting

Updated to include corrected information from the Executive Office of the Governor. This report was contributed to by Eric Daugherty.

LAUDERHILL (FLV) – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Election Crime Unit arrested an 11-time felon and illegal immigrant Wednesday for voting unlawfully.

FDLE arrested Alfred Samuels, 57, Wednesday for illegally voting by mail under the alias Alford Nelson. Samuels voted in two Broward County 2022 special elections, including one on Jan. 11 and on March 8.

According to FDLE, Samuels became a registered Broward County voter in March of 2021 using a counterfeit birth certificate from New York City.

The governor’s office said Samuels purchased a fake birth certificate for $2,000. The birth certificate was used to obtain a driver’s license after the court ordered him to following a car accident.

The Department said Samuels was admitted into the United States in 1977 as a lawful permanent resident, but never applied for naturalization and overstayed his original entry documents. 

By casting a vote under a false name, Samuels violated Florida law, specifically Florida Statutes 104.24, which states “A person may not, in connection with any part of the election process, fraudulently call himself or herself, or fraudulently pass by, any other name than the name by which the person is registered or fraudulently use the name of another in voting. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a felony of the third degree.”

FDLE worked with the Department of State in the investigation.

“The Department will continue to work jointly with FDLE to investigate and hold accountable anyone who broke Florida’s elections laws. By holding these individuals accountable, we will make sure Florida’s elections remain secure and accurate,” Secretary of State Cord Byrd said.