Election Fraud Cases
Caesar Abutin, of Norwalk, voted under the name of his deceased mother three times between 2012 and 2014. He was charged with one count of impersonating another voter, one count of fraudulently requesting an absentee ballot, and one count of fraudulent voting, all felony charges. He entered a diversion program with supervised probation for 12 months and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service. If he successfully completes the program, the charges against him will be dismissed.
Source: https://herit.ag/2TCrAcu, https://herit.ag/3vLXjqd, https://herit.ag/3beDMoU
Neil Kitchens, a former Republican state assembly candidate, was charged with claiming a false residency for candidacy in the 2018 general election. Kitchens claimed residency in the 30th district, when he actually lived in the neighboring 29th district. Kitchens pleaded no contest to one felony charge of filing a false declaration of candidacy and was sentenced to two years of probation.
Source: bit.ly/3qDBZ21, bit.ly/3cnYvH3
Alex Campbell, Republican city councilman and mayor pro tem of Crescent City, California, falsely claimed his residence was within city limits when submitting his candidacy for councilman. Campbell was charged with two felony counts of perjury and one count of false declaration of his candidacy and pleaded guilty to one count of making a false declaration of candidacy. He faces up to two years of probation and $20,000 in fines for his charge.
Source: https://herit.ag/3vJP26e, https://herit.ag/3ba1J0G
Following a bench trial, Jan Wilson was convicted of voting twice by absentee ballot in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election, a misdemeanor offense. Wilson was ordered to pay a $500 fine plus court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3f22rzg
Philip Poirier was charged by the state with one felony count of casting more than one ballot in an election after voting twice during the 2020 General Election, once in Florida and then again in another state. He entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service and pay $200 in state attorney's office costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/41Bgd27, https://herit.ag/41MCava
Anthony Guevara, of Naples Florida, was charged by the state with one count of accessing a computer without authorization and one count of altering voter registration of another without knowledge/consent, both felony offenses. Guevara changed the voter registration address of Governor DeSantis in Florida's state voter database. Law enforcement officers were able to trace the IP address from which DeSantis' address was changed to Guevara's home. He pleaded no contest to the two charges and was sentenced to 2 years’ probation (reduced to one year upon completion of specified conditions), 100 hours of community service, fined $5,421.39, and assessed $515 in court and prosecution costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3U0mzDQ, https://herit.ag/3VmvK2f, https://herit.ag/3VnCtcx
Cheryl Hall, a Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump, falsely submitted at least voter registrations in which she altered the party affiliation from Democrat to either Republican or no party affiliation in connection with the 2020 presidential primary election. The discrepancy with the voter registration forms was discovered by a county election supervisor noticed that several of the forms had identical handwriting; several of the voters also complained to the Supervisor of Elections that their party affiliation had been changed without their consent. Hall pleaded no contest to 10 felony charges of submitting false voter registration information and was sentenced to 1 year of supervised release and fined $723.
Source: bit.ly/3HfruKZ , bit.ly/3et4uvW , bit.ly/32DxrTd
Roland Bauer, of Winter Springs, was charged by the state with one count of fraud in connection with casting a vote and one count of mail-in ballot fraud for submitting a fraudulent absentee ballot during the 2020 General Election. He requested, filled out, and submitted an absentee ballot posing as his son, who lived in New Mexico. The son contacted law enforcement to report that someone had requested and submitted a ballot on his behalf in Florida, despite his not living in the state for the past seven years and his being registered to vote in New Mexico. Roland admitted his role in fraudulently casting a ballot for his son. He was sentenced to a pre-trial diversion program of 24 months; upon successful completion of the program his charges will be dropped. He was ordered to pay $50 per month during his program period and assessed $5,519.36 in fees.
Source: herit.ag/40Mz8r3 , herit.ag/3RSN66x , herit.ag/3Sb2qf7
A judge overturned the results in the 2020 Eatonville Town Council Seat 4 election after finding that votes had been improperly cast. On election night, the initial vote tally was 262 votes for Marlin Daniels and 253 votes for Tarus Mack. After counting provisional ballots, the vote tally was 262 for Daniels and 261 for Mack, leaving a margin of one vote. Following a recount, two additional uncounted votes were discovered, both for Mack, leading him to be declared the winner. During a bench trial, evidence was presented that one of the two “discovered” ballots was not cast by the alleged voter, and that another voter was coerced by former Mayor Anthony Grant (who was convicted of voter fraud in an unrelated case) to vote for Mack, by suggesting that he would forgive overdue rental payments and not evict the voter if he voted for Mack. The judge ruled that those two votes should have been excluded from the vote tally, and declared Daniels to be the winner of the election to the Eatonville Town Council Seat 4 position.
Source: bit.ly/3FzrFR4 , bit.ly/3Hj6eEq , bit.ly/3qmnPEs
Janet Reed, an Evansville Democratic Party activist, was charged by the state with one count of unauthorized absentee ballot, a felony offense. Reed sent illegally pre-marked absentee ballots applications to voters ahead of the 2020 primary election. Reed filled out the applications by pre-selecting the Democrat Party where voters were supposed to choose a Republican or Democratic primary ballot. Reed included instructions that the section in question "needs no input." Reed kept sending the pre-marked applications even after receiving warnings from election officials and the Democrat Party. Reed pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and ordered to pay restitution of $2,740 and court costs of $925. She was also barred from working on any elections during her probation. The court indicated that it would consider reducing the charge to a misdemeanor upon successful completion of probation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3VkpWGF, https://herit.ag/3TZLNlu, https://herit.ag/3Vmv4dc
Steve Watkins, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, listed a postal box at a UPS store as his residence on a state voter registration form while living temporarily at his parents’ home during a 2019 municipal election. Watkins was charged with three felonies - voting without being qualified, knowingly voting with more than one advance ballot, and interfering with the investigation intending to obstruct. He entered into a diversion agreement where his prosecution will be deferred for six months. If he complies with the terms of the agreement and pays a $250 fee, the charges will be dropped.
Source: https://herit.ag/2UWDzlV, https://herit.ag/3BJy7mV
Paul Parana of Canton was charged with impersonating a voter after he forged his daughter's signature on an absentee ballot in 2020 General Election. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor election law violation, was sentenced to 90 days’ probation, and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines and court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3eXnao7, https://herit.ag/3rGpyF0, https://herit.ag/378DNIU
Linda Maria Stately, of Little Falls, was charged by the state with ineligible voting, a felony, after registering on Election Day and voting in the 2020 general election despite being a convicted felon on probation. Stately pleaded guilty to the charge of ineligible voting and was sentenced to five years of probation and assessed $135 in fines and fees. If she successfully completes the terms of her probation, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Source: https://herit.ag/3EwR92c, https://herit.ag/3ADQtH8
Judge Jeff Weill overturned the results of the June 2020 First Ward Alderman Democratic primary election in Aberdeen, Mississippi, due to absentee ballot fraud, and has ordered a new election. Nicholas Holliday was declared the winner of the June primary by a margin of 37 votes over Robert Devaull. After Devaull filed a lawsuit challenging the results of the race, the Monroe County District court found that 66 of the 84 absentee ballots cast should not have been counted because they were not valid. A notary, Dallas Jones, was arrested for election fraud for notarizing ballots without watching voters sign ballots or checking their identification. In addition to the absentee ballot fraud, the court found evidence of intimidation at the polls by various public officials, including Mayor Maurice Howard, candidate Holliday, and Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Randle, which constituted violations of anti-electioneering rules at polling places.
Source: https://herit.ag/3idftfH , https://herit.ag/3BPBXeb, https://herit.ag/3iM4ubO
Michael Winters was charged in Gallatin County with one count of deceptive election practices for filling out a voter registration form under the false name "Miguel Raton" - Spanish for Mickey Mouse. Winters combined his driver's license number and Mickey Mouse's birthday to fill out the registration form. But the ID number belonged to a Missoula resident, which Winters said was unintentional, and he didn't know the person. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6 months in prison, which was suspended in lieu of his completing 100 hours of community service. He was also assessed fees and costs of $375.
Source: https://herit.ag/40IAtxS, https://herit.ag/40Q6Pa1, https://herit.ag/41FzbVt , https://herit.ag/3ozrQrT
Jeffrey Hamilton was charged by the federal government with naturalization fraud; fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents; and making a false statement in an immigration proceeding, all in connection with submitting a false voter registration application in which he claimed to be a US citizen. Hamilton, an alien from Canada, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3vj0hGF , herit.ag/3RNZ0iw
Miguel Angel Dominguez-Martinez was charged by the federal government with attempted naturalization fraud; visa fraud; and making a false statement in an immigration proceeding, all in connection with submitting a false voter registration application in which he claimed to be a US citizen. Dominguez-Martinez, an alien from Guatemala, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3NRIKMi , herit.ag/4aADWEC
Byron Rene Benavides-Campos was charged by the federal government with naturalization fraud, making a false statement in an immigration proceeding, misuse of legal documents, and making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Byron Rene Benavides-Campos, a citizen from El Salvador and thus ineligible to vote, admitted the conduct and entered into a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. His charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/478ZYeI , herit.ag/3v2JfMM , herit.ag/3tpe2TH
Ikechukwu Agustine Okeke was charged by the federal government with making a false claim of U.S. Citizenship in order to register to vote. Okeke, a citizen from Nigeria and thus ineligible to vote, admitted the conduct and entered into a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. Her charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3ty1Xvi , herit.ag/3ty29L2 , herit.ag/41AwA00
Jose Abraham Navarro was charged by the federal government with making a false claim of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote and voting in the 2016 General Election. Navarro, a citizen from Mexico and thus ineligible to vote, admitted the conduct and entered into a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. His charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3RB0Z9E , herit.ag/41BvFMO , herit.ag/41vPchm
Gabriela Guzman-Miguel was charged by the federal government with making a false claim of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote and voting in the 2016 Primary Election and General Election. Gabriela Guzman-Miguel, a citizen from Mexico and thus ineligible to vote, admitted the conduct and entered into a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. Her charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3v5UZ0Z , herit.ag/4asGSDh , herit.ag/4atjSnD
George Ian Richardson was charged by the federal government with one count of falsely claiming to be a US citizen in order to register to vote. Richardson, an alien from Bermuda, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3viZvtf , herit.ag/41MtGoN
Soraya Paktiawal was charged by the federal government with one count of falsely claiming to be a US citizen in order to register to vote. Paktiawal, an alien from Afghanistan, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3ROlpfk , herit.ag/3S2pQVp
Lurbyn Chirinos-Castro was charged by the federal government with one count of falsely claiming to be a US citizen in order to register to vote. Chirinos-Castro, an alien from Honduras, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3H6ix8Y , herit.ag/48zYBXA
Miriam Perez-Robledo was charged by the federal government with one count of falsely claiming to be a US citizen in order to register to vote. Perez-Robledo, an alien from Mexico, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3NLJgLJ , herit.ag/4aFTyH4
Faustin Ngaruyinka was charged by the federal government with falsely claiming to be a US citizen in order to register to vote; fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents; and making a false statement in an immigration proceeding. Ngaruyinka, an alien from the Congo, admitted the conduct and entered a pretrial diversion program for 12 months. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/48kqy6a , herit.ag/48hzN75
Ole Oisin pleaded guilty to two counts of wrongful voting in connection with the February 2020 presidential primary, both Class A misdemeanors under state law. Oisin, a naturalized citizen, submitted false information stating his place of birth as "Senegal, Nation of Islam" when Oisin was born in Ireland. He also submitted an incorrect date of birth and address on his voter registration information. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 90 days in jail, which were suspended for two years subject to good behavior. He was also fined $2,000, with $1,000 suspended for two years subject to good behavior. Pursuant to state law, Oisin also lost his right to vote.
Source: https://herit.ag/3fHOx8W , https://herit.ag/3rOmk3b
Laurence Kahn, of Londonderry, was charged with voting twice in the 2016 election. Kahn voted in Elm River Township, Michigan then again in-person in Londonderry, New Hampshire. He pleaded guilty to the Class B felony charge for knowingly checking in to vote in Londonderry and casting a New Hampshire ballot after having cast a Michigan ballot. He was sentenced to 90 days in the House of Corrections, but his jail sentence was stayed for one year conditioned on his maintaining good behavior. Kahn was also fined $4,000, ordered to pay an additional penalty of $960, and is barred from voting in New Hampshire.
Source: https://herit.ag/3zrLgyL, https://herit.ag/3nMT77O
Vincent Marzello, 65, was indicted on one count of wrongful voting for voting twice during the November 8, 2016 general election. The indictment alleges he knowingly voted twice by voting once as Vincent Marzello and once by impersonating a woman Helen Elisabeth Ashley under the false name he registered. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in prison, which was then suspended for a period of two years. Marzello was also fined $300 of a civil penalty of $3,000 with the remaining funds suspended for five years.
Source: https://herit.ag/3zpVAHv, https://herit.ag/3l01tYn, https://herit.ag/2XAi7EL
Craig Frank was charged by the state with voting twice in the same election after voting in Arkansas and then again in Nevada during the 2016 general election. He pleaded guilty to voting more than once in the same election, a category "D" felony. Frank was sentenced to a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 30 months in prison; the sentence was suspended and he was placed on probation for two years.
Source: https://herit.ag/3M5AGVU, https://herit.ag/3yi059b, https://herit.ag/3edDyU6
Donald Hartle, a Republican, was charged with two state felonies for voting twice in the 2020 general election, once under his own name and a second time via absentee ballot using his deceased wife's name. Hartle pleaded guilty to one count of “voting more than once at same election,” a Class D felony. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Hartle was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $2,000, and after he successfully completed his probation sentence, he was allowed to plead down to a lower charge of “conspiracy to commit voting more than once at same election,” a gross misdemeanor.
Source: bit.ly/3sDDaDq , bit.ly/32up0tA , bit.ly/3116CaS, https://herit.ag/3i62yya
Edward Snodgrass, a registered Republican and a Porter Township Trustee, was charged with one felony count of illegal voting after submitting an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased father in the 2020 General Election. As part of his plea deal, Snodgrass pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of falsification, was sentenced to three days in jail, and fined $500.
Source: https://herit.ag/3BsROzS , https://herit.ag/3uVbsmM, https://herit.ag/3uRpXYz
Irnatine Boayue was charged by the state with one count of illegal voting during the 2016 general election. Boayue registered to vote despite being ineligible as a non-citizen. She pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of attempted false voter registration and was sentenced to one day in the Franklin County Correction Center. The court waived fines and court costs on account of the defendant's indigency.
Source: https://herit.ag/3i69USh, https://herit.ag/3TTpT3D, https://herit.ag/3EyoYQg
Domenick Demuro, a Judge of Elections in Philadelphia and a Democratic ward leader, accepted bribes to add fraudulent ballots to voting machines and falsely certify election results for certain Democrat candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections. According to the DOJ press release, Demuro “admitted that a local political consultant gave him directions and paid him money to add votes for candidates supported by the consultant, including candidates for judicial office whose campaigns actually hired the consultant, and other candidates for various federal, state and local elective offices preferred by that consultant for a variety of reasons.” Demuro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deprive Philadelphia voters of their civil rights and one violation of the Hatch act. He will be sentenced on July 20, 2021.
Source: Case No 2:20-cr-00112-PD , bit.ly/2QjjcNh, bit.ly/3vituMP , bit.ly/3tMuXKZ
Bruce Bartman was charged with falsely registering for an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased mother and his deceased mother-in-law in the 2020 general election. A registered Republican, he used his mother’s driver license number and the last four digits of his mother-in-law’s social security number to register them as Republicans in effort to cast fraudulent ballots for Donald Trump. Bartman cast an absentee ballot in his mother’s name, but did not obtain an absentee ballot for his mother-in-law. Bartman pleaded guilty to two felony counts of perjury and one misdemeanor count of illegal voting. He was sentenced to five years’ probation, is barred from voting in any election for 4 years, and is no longer eligible to serve on a jury.
Source: bit.ly/3yojLqr, bit.ly/3fuAtM3 , bit.ly/340i2cN
Registered Republican Ralph Holloway Thurman voted twice in the 2020 presidential election. After casting his vote, Thurman asked a poll worker if he could vote on behalf of his son, and when workers informed him that it was not allowed, he left the building. Later that day Thurman returned, disguised in a hat and sunglasses, and signed the poll book as his son, a registered Democrat. After casting the second ballot, pollsters recognized him, notified the judge of elections, but Thurman left before election officials could confront him. He pleaded guilty to one count of repeat voting, a felony. Thurman was sentenced to three years' probation and is barred from voting for four years as part of a negotiated plea deal.
Source: https://herit.ag/3vQ5CRV, https://herit.ag/3vQ5CRV, https://herit.ag/2XLR6y2
Registered Republican Robert Richard Lynn was charged with a third-class misdemeanor for using his deceased mother’s credentials to cast an absentee ballot for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. He was sentenced to six months probation and 40 hours of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/3Cmw4VO, https://herit.ag/3bauXN9
Paul Krikorian was charged by the state in Newport County with two felony counts of mail-ballot fraud for voting twice in the 2020 General Election. He voted by absentee ballot in Rhode Island and again by absentee ballot in Florida. He pleaded no contest to the charges in exchange for no jail time. He was assessed $1403.25 in total fines and court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/41MC4ni , https://herit.ag/3oHIju0
Shannon Brown, Commissioner of Gregg County, Texas pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor election fraud and record tampering. During the 2018 Democratic primary Longview City Council election, Brown organized a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from two paid campaign workers and his wife to increase the votes in his favor. Brown, along with his crew, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, misleading voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filling out the applications and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Brown was originally charged with over 20 felony charges related to providing false information on voting applications. As part of his plea deal, Brown was sentenced to one year in jail which was suspended to a year's probation and fined $2,445. Brown was allowed to stay in office.
Source: https://herit.ag/3uVtk0S, https://herit.ag/3JBDN5J, https://herit.ag/3Bo6xf6 , https://herit.ag/3gMJvFv
Jonathan Meade West, Sr., of Hayes, was charged with a felony for attempting to cast two ballots in the 2020 general election. West first voted absentee at the Gloucester County Voter Register's office. He then returned four days later and tried to cast a second ballot. He was stopped from casting a second ballot when the election worker checked his information using a back-up to the VERIS (Virginia Election Registration Information System) system since it was not working that day. He was convicted of an amended misdemeanor charge of obtaining services under false pretense after attempting to vote twice. West, a self-described "unabashed conservative," was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 12 months, fined $500, and ordered to pay $96 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/375VNDP, https://herit.ag/3f2SNN0
Thomas Cooper was charged by the federal government with one count of attempt to defraud the residents of West Virginia of a Fair Election and one count of Injury to the Mail after tampering with absentee ballot request forms during the 2020 primary election. Cooper, who had a contract with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail in Pendleton County, West Virginia, altered 8 absentee ballot request forms from Democrat to Republican by circling over or crossing out the original request of the voter. A county court clerk noticed the alterations on the forms and contacted voters, learning that the original requests were changed by Cooper. Cooper pleaded guilty to both counts and was sentenced to 5 years of probation on each count to run concurrently, with the first 180 days to be served under home confinement, and assessed a fine of $200.
Source: herit.ag/3W7cHuY , herit.ag/4cJSAtR , herit.ag/4d90HA9 , herit.ag/3Wb4whm
Timothy Metz, a candidate for the Morgantown City Council, falsified 21 signatures of voters for his nomination petition, including one deceased person. He pleaded guilty to one count of falsely filing a certification of nomination and was sentenced as part of his plea agreement to a pre-trial diversion program with a 24 month period of supervised probation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3l6slpx
Elizabeth Durham was charged with 5 felonies after attempting to change the voter registration of a deceased West Virginia voter. Durham pleaded no contest to one charge of petit larceny and one charge of unlawful voter registration and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was suspended to 6 months of probation.
Source: bit.ly/3qwJ5Yf