The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced on Sunday the arrest of an elections volunteer for allegedly stealing sensitive computer equipment from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.
John D. Panicci, 59, of Lake Worth, was arrested on Mar. 28, 2026, and charged with theft after the Elections Office reported that sensitive computer equipment had been taken from the facility.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the Supervisor of Elections Office conducted a training session on Mar. 19, 2026, for volunteers assisting with the Mar. 24, 2026, Elections, which included the Florida House District 87 Special Election and the Village of North Palm Beach Council, Group 4 Election.
Investigators determined that, during the session, Panicci stole an encrypted access key from a voter registration terminal.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the stolen key only granted authorization to training databases, not to voter kiosks.
According to WPBF 25, “There was concern that a knowledgeable person could potentially reverse engineer the encryption and reintroduce the key into a voter registration kiosk for malicious purposes.”
After establishing probable cause, the sheriff’s office obtained search and arrest warrants.
Deputies recovered the stolen items alongside electronic and digital storage devices at Panicci’s residence after executing a search warrant on Saturday, Mar. 28, 2026.
During a court appearance on Mar. 29, 2026, a judge told Panicci he could not have contact with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Panicci is now being held in Palm Beach County Jail on $6,000 bail.
According to The Independent, Panicci is a U.S. Army Veteran who has avidly expressed his dissent for the Trump administration on Facebook.
The Florida Legislative Special Elections held on Mar. 24, 2026, which included Florida House District 87, resulted in two legislative seats flipped by Florida Democrats.
President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence is located within District 87.
