Florida woman charged with 12 counts of identity theft in marijuana petition scandal: AG

OG article by Skyler Shepard

January 26, 2026

Florida authorities charged Teagen Marie Targhuhanuchi, 41, of Titusville, with 12 counts of identity theft, 12 counts of submitting fraudulent voter information, and one count of identity theft involving more than 10 people. As a paid petition circulator for Smart & Safe Florida's recreational marijuana amendment (Ballot Initiative 2501), she allegedly stole personal details from voter-signature sheets at events and used them to file unauthorized voter-registration applications. The scheme exploited collected signatures for the marijuana legalization effort. Irregularities flagged by the Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections prompted an investigation by the Office of Election Crimes & Security and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Attorney General James Uthmeier denounced the actions as a direct assault on Florida's election integrity, vowing full accountability. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of Statewide Prosecution in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit. This incident ties into broader concerns over petition processes for marijuana initiatives, following reports of thousands of suspect petitions. It underscores risks of identity exploitation in ballot campaigns and efforts to safeguard voter data and electoral processes in the state.