Footage released Tuesday showed Republican Florida Rep. Randy Fine appearing to illegally look inside someone’s mailbox while canvassing.
Ring camera footage showed Fine opening a mailbox and appearing to flip through the mail. Opening or tampering with someone else’s mailbox and mail is a federal crime under U.S. law, though it focuses heavily on intent.
Fine’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The footage showed Fine ringing the doorbell, standing on the porch for several seconds, turning his head around, and then opening the mailbox and going through the mail for several seconds.
Opening and tampering with someone’s mailbox carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and large fines under 18 USC 1702. However, if a person accidentally opened a mis-delivered letter and immediately returned it, it is generally not a crime.
Fine is up for reelection in 2026 and will finish his current term in Jan. 2027. He won a special election in April 2025 to fill the vacancy of United Nations ambassador Michael Waltz, who stepped down to join President Donald Trump’s administration.
Fine is staunchly pro-Israel and received more than $126,000 in direct campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
The congressman was the sole Republican to vote against a rule to attach the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to the Fiscal Year 2027 State Department funding bill in July. He initially told the DCNF that there was a “family matter” that had to be worked out, although it was later learned he demanded the Trump administration fire White House adviser Alex Bruesewitz.
(DCNF)