Florida Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who threatened to kill anti-ICE protesters "graveyard dead," has a history of corruption, racial profiling and bribery in local campaigns, despite calling himself a "constitutional sheriff."
Ivey issued the threat during a press conference on Thursday. His warning drew cheers from MAGA supporters and widespread condemnation from others. The viral moment also resurfaced his history of corruption, dating back to 2018.
"We will kill you graveyard dead."
— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) June 12, 2025
Florida Sheriff Wayne Ivey threatened to kill anti-ICE protesters, offering multiple graphic, sadistic descriptions of how police would do it. pic.twitter.com/ndIcsctyNY
Lee Edward Anderson, a Black man, sued Sheriff Ivey and a former Brevard County deputy for false arrest and imprisonment following a late-night traffic stop in 2018, Click Orlando reported. Anderson alleged he was racially profiled and falsely charged with drug possession. The charges were later dropped after video evidence confirmed he had no drugs, prompting the deputy's resignation.
Also in 2018, Gregory Edwards, a 37-year-old veteran who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, was found dead in a restraint chair while being held in a Brevard County jail. Sheriff Ivey was accused of attempting to cover up his force's misconduct, which resulted in Edwards' untimely death. A federal judge later ruled that the jail staff did not violate Edwards' constitutional rights
In 2019, Ivey was named in a federal indictment for accepting $15,500 in checks to Brevard County charities from Donald Donagher, who was seeking a countywide debt collection contract for his company, Penn Credit Corporation. The indictment alleged Ivey and Donagher collaborated in an unsuccessful attempt to bribe three Florida clerks of court. Donagher took a plea deal in which he agreed to pay a $225,000 fine.
The following year, Brevard County recorded five fatal officer-involved shootings, including a traffic stop that resulted in the deaths of two teenagers. Sheriff Ivey's office refused to cooperate with the families as they sought answers, failing to provide information and delaying the release of the teens' bodies for several days, Florida Today reported. Additionally, no criminal charges were filed against the deputy involved despite his violent history.
Ivey was again sued in 2020; this time, for defamation after he included David Austin Gay's photo in a "Wheel of Fugitive" video. Gay stated he lost his job and suffered mental health issues as a result of Ivey's negligence. The case was eventually thrown out.
During Brevard County's 2022 election cycle, Ivey allegedly approached two candidates, one for County Commission and the other for School Board, and urged them to withdraw from their races, offering political jobs worth up to $50,000 a year in exchange. Both candidates, military veterans with distinguished service records and current or former law enforcement officers, declined the offer, according to Florida Today.
Originally published on Latin Times
