OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The number 13 and a Craiglist ad proved unlucky for an Ocala woman, as Maria Guadalupe Bautista, 26, was charged with 13 counts of Fraudulent Use of Information, a second-degree felony.
Bautista was convicted July 30, 2025, after she was found guilty by a jury trial, according to the State Attorrney’s Office Fifth Judicial Circuit. Bautista could face up to 210 years in prison. Her sentencing will be done at a later time, with a minimum mandatory three-year prison sentence.
She had originally been arrested in August 2023, but her nefarious activities first became apparent in 2021, when the Office of Wesley Wilcox, Supervisor of Elections for Marion County contacted the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office regarding a complaint of widespread fraud.
Bautista had submitted 191 fraudulent petitions relating to a Constitutional Amendment petition for the limited authorization of casino gaming. The Seminole Tribe of Florida has exclusivity in casino gaming in the state and were vehemently opposed to Las Vegas Sands Corp. attempt to get the initiative on the 2022 ballot.
It was through a Political Action Committee, Florida Voters in Charge, that Las Vegas Sands Corp. made their presence felt, giving the PAC nearly $50 million to get the initiative on the ballot, one that was unsuccessful.
Had the initiative found its way onto the ballot, and had passed, it would’ve allowed for gaming companies to purchase pari-mutuel cardrooms in the Jacksonville area, which could’ve then been transformed into casinos.
It was determined that 16 of the petitions were fraudulent, with two of the individuals who had purportedly signed, having died prior to the date of the forms that had their signatures. However, if that wasn’t enough, one of the fraudulent signatures was that of a Marion County elected official.
When questioned by investigators, Bautista said that she worked for a Political Action Committee, contacting the PAC after seeing an advertisement on Craigslist.