Defense in voter-fraud trial claims former Eatonville mayor was victim of smear campaign

The former mayor of Eatonville’s alleged election crimes have begun to pour out in an Orange County courtroom.

Anthony Grant is accused of stealing an election two years ago in a scheme involving absentee ballots.

During opening statements Tuesday, the defense said prosecutors were wrong about the allegations and claimed Grant and his two co-defendants are victims of a calculated smear campaign masterminded at the State Attorney’s Office.

Grant, Mia Nowells and James Randolph are all on trial at the same time.

Read: Jury selection begins in election fraud trial of ex-Eatonville mayor, campaign workers

They're accused of going around the town of Eatonville and forcing people to fill out absentee ballots for Grant and, in one case, finding a woman outside Eatonville to cast a ballot.

The result was that the sitting mayor won the vote at the polls, but Grant swept the election thanks to all the other ballots.

He and the others have been sitting and looking confident in the courtroom the entire time so far.

“You’re going to hear testimony that they stood over voters. They stood next to voters and they pointed out, literally, ‘Vote for this one,’” said Assistant State Attorney Rick Walsh.

A witness said Grant showed up at her house and stood over her until she voted for him.

On the stand, Latoya Jackson said she didn’t care that much about the town’s election and was planning to “Christmas tree” the ballot.

“Mark down the people I know and just, whatever, with the people I don’t,” she said.

Jackson pointed to Grant in the courtroom and said he told her to vote for him and his allies on the ballot.

Read: Gov. Rick Scott suspends Eatonville mayor after election-fraud indictment

“Did you get a chance to vote for Marilyn Davis?” asked an attorney.

“No, I did not,” Jackson said.

“Who stopped you from voting for her?” asked the attorney.

“Anthony Grant,” she said.

Prosecutors claim Jackson did it because she was living in an apartment controlled by Grant’s co-defendant, Nowell, and was scared of losing her home.

“If Ms. Nowells had told Latoya Jackson to vote for Donald Duck, she would have voted for Donald Duck,” said Walsh.

The defense attorney meanwhile claimed it’s a lie concocted by investigators seeking public approval they said teamed up with then-STate Attorny Jeff Ashton, who wanted to win re-election.

“Yes, 2015 was an election year in Eatonville. 2016 was an election year in Orange County for state attorney. Yes, this case involved an election. Not Mr. Grant’s, but Mr. Ashton’s re-election,” said attorney Gary Dorst.

Dorst was referring to  Ashton, who was running for re-election last year.

He was ultimately unseated by Aramis Ayala, but the implication was that Ashton teamed up with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to come up with a scandal and make himself look tough on public corruption, while giving the FDLE a win.

"There was a conspiracy here, and there were threats of intimidation here. But not by these three people,” said Dorst. “You're going to hear that FDLE Agent Alfonso Williams went into Eatonville, and went into people's houses, and started telling them that they're in trouble and they'd better give him a statement."

No evidence has been presented to back up the claim.

Cox Media Group