Manhasset man arrested for allegedly casting Florida, New York ballots in 2016 elections

Amelia Camurati
Spiro Colaitis, 57, of Manhasset, turned himself in Friday after allegedly casting two ballots in the 2016 election. (Photo courtesy of Florida State Attorney's Office)

A Manhasset man was arrested Friday for allegedly casting two ballots during the 2016 elections — one in New York and one in Florida.

Spiro Colaitis, 57, was arrested Friday and charged with casting more than one ballot in an election after voting records showed Colaitis filed a mail-in ballot in Escambia County, Florida, in October and an in-person ballot in Nassau County on Election Day.

Colaitis, who is assistant superintendent for district operations at Malverne Union Free School District, turned himself in to the Escambia County sheriff’s office on Friday and was released on $2,500 bail the same day, according to the Florida state attorney’s office.

In Florida, casting more than one ballot in an election is a third-degree felony.

Colaitis is a retired Naval officer with 30 years of service and has served as commander of the Southern Command with the National Guard of New York. As of Tuesday morning, all mention of Colaitis had been removed from the National Guard’s website.

According to an affidavit by Florida Investigator Taylor Wells, Colaitis has not lived in Pensacola since 2005 and sold his property in 2010. He currently lives on Bayview Terrace in Manhasset.

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