EXCLUSIVE – A temporary elections worker has been charged in connection with two security-related thefts that happened one day apart last month. Arizona Senate Building And the Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center was seen smiling alongside several Democratic politicians in resurfaced social media posts viewed by Fox News Digital, and has participated in Democrat primaries in Arizona during at least the past two cycles.
Walter Alphonso Jamel Ringfield Jr., 27, of Phoenix, faces multiple charges including theft, criminal damage, trespassing and burglary, as Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said last week that investigators are examining “a lot of digital evidence,” including Ringfield’s past social media activity, and vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in determining whether the crimes were politically motivated.
Though authorities have not provided any updates on their investigation since then, screenshots viewed by Fox News Digital show that Ringfield posed with Democratic politicians in multiple photos shared on social media in 2020, 2021 and 2022, including U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, Tempe, Arizona Mayor Corey Woods, and then-Tempe Police Chief Jeffrey Glover, who would later be appointed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs as director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety in 2023. Arizona DPS is the agency that accused Ringfield of stealing from the desk of a security guard at the state Senate Building last month.
In one post, Ringfield described politicians as “some of my friends.”
Smiling in photos shared on Instagram, Ringfield also shared her experience with Javin Hodge, a former Democratic state representative who resigned earlier this year. Sexual harassment allegationsformer Democratic Mayor of Tempe Neil Giuliano, and Tempe City Council member Burdetta Hodge, whose position is nonpartisan.
“A left-wing activist with a history of run-ins with the law allegedly stole keys to illegally access a vote-counting machine in Maricopa’s election system,” RNC Election Integrity Communications Director Claire Zank said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “Democrats turned a blind eye to what was at best a conspiracy by insisting the election was secure. At worst, was this a planned threat in a long string of extreme election interference by Democrats? What was the motive a month before the primary? The people of Arizona must have proof that their ballots are secure and Americans must have a system where these threats are not tolerated.”
Ringfield was arrested outside her home in Phoenix on June 21. A day earlier, she was seen on security footage walking past a desk with several tabulators and pocketing a security fob and lanyard, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Ringfield was confronted by her employer, and detectives who served a search warrant at her home recovered the security fob from a dresser in the master bedroom.
Walter Ringfield was seen on security footage pocketing the security fob at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center on June 20, 2024. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
At a press conference held the following week, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates acknowledged that Ringfield was in a felony diversion program, saying that this information had not been revealed in a background check conducted before Ringfield was hired as a temporary election worker. In Maricopa County,
Ringfield joined the program after he was arrested in September 2023 for allegedly stealing $1,800 in cash while working as a cashier at a Phoenix grocery store, court records show.
In total, Ringfield has four criminal cases filed against him for unspecified offenses, including one felony and one traffic violation. This includes a 2019 case when he was charged with forcible entry/detention. Court documents also mention earlier arrests for disorderly conduct and fighting.
In response to Ringfield’s arrest late last month, the RNC and Arizona GOP sent attorneys and observers to Maricopa County “as part of our election integrity program to gather information and promote transparency as needed.” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley in a statement released June 25. “The RNC and AZGOP have a long history of engaging Maricopa County election issues both on the ground and in court, and yesterday’s events are an example of the ability of our Election Integrity Program to provide a real-time legal response when issues arise at tabulation centers.”
Under the handle @alphonsosundevil on Instagram, Ringfield shared a selfie with Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Sept. 9, 2022. (Fox News Digital)
“This incident raises serious questions about election security in Arizona that must be answered — we will continue to engage constructively with Maricopa County officials to ensure that solutions to this security breach adequately address our concerns,” Whatley said at the time.
Two days after the press conference, the Arizona Department of Public Safety revealed that Ringfield was also connected to another burglary that occurred at the Arizona State Senate building.
Troopers reviewed security footage that showed a suspect, later identified as Ringfield, entering a restricted area of the building and removing several items from a security worker’s desk on June 19, the day before the theft at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center. State police said the items stolen included challenge coins and other desk items.
Under the handle @alphonsosundevil on Instagram, Ringfield shared a selfie with Kelly on Sept. 9, 2022, according to a screenshot viewed by Fox News Digital.
In a Jan. 17, 2022, Instagram post, Walter Ringfield holds a sign with an image of Martin Luther King Jr. that reads, “The dream is alive…voting rights now.” (Fox News Digital)
“I met two current amazing and inspiring U.S. Senators today,” the caption read, which tagged Kelly and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, who was not pictured in the post.
In another photo shared on January 17, 2022, Ringfield, along with other volunteers wearing masks, is seen holding a blue sign with an image of Martin Luther King Jr. that reads, “The dream is alive… now the right to vote.”
The caption said he had the honor of walking in the MLK parade and thanked Burdetta Hodge, former president of the Tempe Union High School District governing board, adding: “It has been an honor and privilege to intern for you this semester.”
On Dec. 18, 2021, Ringfield shared a photo smiling with a group of politicians, according to a screenshot viewed by Fox News Digital. The “@alphonsosundevil” account is now private.
“With a smile on your face, it’s time to introduce you to some of my friends,” Ringfield then wrote.
Walter Ringfield is seen in a December 18, 2021 Instagram post with Tempe, Arizona Mayor Corey Woods, then-Tempe Police Chief Jeffrey Glover, former Democratic state Representative Javin Hodge, former Tempe Democratic Mayor Neil Giuliano, and Tempe City Council Member Burdetta Hodge. (Fox News Digital)
Arizona election worker arrested for stealing security equipment from ballot tabulation center
Ringfield can be seen at the end next to a jubilant line-up of Woods, Glover, then-state Rep. Javin Hodge, Giuliano and Bordeta Hodge.
Ringfield wrote that this was her second meeting with Woods, the first being the night he became mayor-elect, and the caption described Woods as “Tempe’s first black mayor.” The caption also praised Glover as “Tempe’s first black police chief.” Ringfield said she had the “honor of interning” for Javin Hodge next semester, adding: “Happy birthday to my friend.”
As for Giuliano, the caption said he is “6-0 in political campaigns” and “has met every president except 1 since he entered the political arena.”
“He is so wonderful,” Ringfield wrote. “It was a blessing to be in the presence of such good friends.”
On March 10, 2020, Walter Ringfield shared a photo on Instagram with Tempe, Arizona mayor-elect Corey Woods. (Fox News Digital)
According to another screenshot, on March 10, 2020, Ringfield shared a photo of herself smiling and giving a thumbs up next to Wood at another event.
Ringfield congratulated Woods, writing, “In a short time, I’ve learned so much from Tempe’s first black mayor. I’ve been looking for a role model.”
Other screenshots of her social media activity showed Ringfield supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and asking her followers whether they were pro-choice or pro-life when it came to abortion.
On former President Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, Ringfield posted from a different handle, @imjustheresoiwontbefined.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
A screenshot of her cover photo shows Ringfield smiling once again with a group of people, including Democrat Javin Hodge.
Polling data showed that Ringfield voted in both the 2022 and 2020 Democratic primaries in Arizona.
He made two donations of just $5 each to ActBlue, the major fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns and groups across the country in 2022, according to Federal Election Commission data.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kelly, Klobuchar, Woods, Glover, Giuliano and Javin and Burdetta Hodge, as well as the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
