A Margate man is facing criminal charges and possible deportation after using fraudulent documents to register to vote and cast ballots in at least two general elections, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Ashley R. Rivers, 64, is also accused of fraudulently applying for a U.S. passport using a fake name and birth certificate.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rivers applied for the passport in 2016 and registered to vote in Broward County using the same fake name. A person with the name listed as Rivers’ alias registered to vote as a Democrat in 2020 and cast ballots in 2020 and 2024.
If convicted, Rivers faces up to 25 years in federal prison. Prosecutors did not indicate the country Rivers is from, and his indictment remains under seal in the U.S. District Court’s website.
Rivers is the second non-citizen from Broward to be federally charged with voter fraud this year. Last month, prosecutors announced charges against Carlos Jose Abreu, a citizen of the Dominican Republic who came to South Florida illegally 20 years ago and who, prosecutors say, used the identity of an American citizen to register to vote in 2020, though he did not cast a ballot then. He did vote in the 2022 federal mid-term elections, according to prosecutors.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net/@rafael.olmeda.
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