Palm Beach County Election Volunteer Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Encrypted Access Key During Training Session

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 59-year-old Lake Worth man who volunteered as a poll worker is facing felony charges after authorities say he stole an encrypted access key from a voter registration terminal at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office during a training session.

John D. Panicci (also referred to as John Domnick Panicci) was arrested Saturday, March 28, 2026, by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) following an investigation into the theft, which occurred on March 19. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on charges including theft and offenses involving taking or damaging computer equipment, supplies, or electronic devices. Some reports mention an additional count related to computer systems. He was held on $6,000 bail and made his first court appearance on Sunday, March 29, where he was ordered not to contact the elections office. His next court date is reportedly April 24.

According to PBSO detectives, they responded to the Supervisor of Elections Office at 4301 Cherry Road after reports of missing sensitive computer equipment. The investigation revealed the theft took place during a volunteer training session ahead of the March 24, 2026, special election (which included Florida House District 87 and a local council race).

Court documents and surveillance footage allegedly show Panicci, who was not originally on the training roster, writing his name in as a walk-in, scanning his ID, and entering the session around 8:34 a.m. While seated at a voter registration kiosk, he reportedly reached over to an adjacent machine, removed a black-and-silver SanDisk USB drive (described as an “activator” or encrypted security key), and placed it in his right pants pocket before leaving.

Officials emphasized that the stolen key was configured only for training databases, which contain simulated or fake voter information used for practice scenarios. No real voter data was on the device, and authorities have stated there is no evidence it was used to access or tamper with live systems or that the March 24 election results were affected. However, investigators noted concerns that someone with sufficient technical expertise could potentially reverse-engineer the encryption and misuse it on a live voter registration kiosk.

On March 28, detectives executed a search warrant at Panicci’s residence, where they located and recovered the stolen key along with a significant amount of other electronic and digital storage devices. He was taken into custody without incident.

Panicci had previously served as a poll worker in at least three elections (2016, 2018, and 2024) after passing standard background screenings at the time. Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link told local media that his prior record appeared clean under the checks conducted (which reportedly cover a limited timeframe via the Florida Department of Law Enforcement), and he would not have been allowed to participate had older theft-related charges from Martin County (over two decades ago) been flagged. He was immediately terminated following the incident. The office has defended its screening process while noting no changes were made to security protocols for the recent election.

State voter records list Panicci as a registered Democrat with an active registration dating back to 2001. Some reports have noted his past expression of anti-Trump views, though law enforcement has not publicly linked any political motive to the theft. The Republican Party of Florida issued a statement expressing concern over the incident and election security in the wake of the arrest.

The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office has not yet issued a detailed public response beyond confirming the incident, according to local outlets still awaiting comment. The investigation remains ongoing.

This case highlights ongoing sensitivities around election infrastructure security, even for training equipment, in a county with a high national profile due to its voting history and prominent residents.

Authorities continue to stress that voter data integrity was not compromised in this incident.

This article was compiled from reports by WPBF 25 News, CBS12, WPTV, NBC6, and other local outlets covering the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigation.