BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Officials Wednesday discussed a criminal investigation into political activities in Brevard County after someone was impersonated a county commissioner on Facebook and posted personal attacks on that page.
- Sheriff Ivey says someone impersonated Comm. Brian Lobers
- The fake Facebook page reportedly posted attacks
- State Rep. Randy Fine claims Democrats behind attacks
- More Brevard County coverage
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey says someone was pretending to be County Commissioner Brian Lobers and posting attacks.
State Rep. Randy Fine claimed Democrats were behind the page.
“Brevard democrats illegally stole the identity of a Republican elected official and attempted to make it seem like he was behind it,” Fine said.
Political attacks are not illegal but identity theft or impersonating someone is,
“It’s actually identity theft using Lobers’ account,” Ivey explained.
But determining who is behind the page is not as easy as it seems. Commissioner Lober, who is also an attorney, explained just because no charges are being filed, doesn't mean a crime wasn't committed.
“For that reason we can be very confident that something occurred … without meeting that elevated burden of which is required to have a successful conviction,” Lober said.
The Brevard-area Democratic Party issued this quote in response to the press conference:
"The Brevard Democratic Party has absolutely nothing to do with the allegations in today’s absurd press conference, and we are concerned with the ease that elected officials have in dispensing falsities in our community. It’s pitiful to watch two elected officials escalating a campaign of politically-motivated defamation, especially given their personal records of vicious and irresponsible comments online. Regarding whatever happened or whoever may be responsible, we do not condone activities that violate the law or even Facebook community standards. We condemn sexism, prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry in all its forms. We also believe in due process before functionally convicting someone of a crime and we expect our law enforcement to act accordingly, especially in public statements. It’s troubling that our sheriff would offer his uniform to lend any credence to political theatrics. These are not critical needs, so let’s get back to storm prep and real issues that affect Brevard residents and businesses."