Election Fraud Cases
Details
Charles Barnes was arrested and charged for voting twice in the 2020 presidential election. He voted once in Florida and again in his home state of Connecticut via absentee ballot. Barnes was sentenced to a pretrial diversion program where his charges will be deferred at the end of 18 months if successfully completed. Barnes was also sentenced to 50 hours community service, ordered to attend a civic education program, ordered to pay $52 per month in fees as part of the pretrial diversion program, and fined $400 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3sgdH1J , https://herit.ag/3sbQIom, https://herit.ag/3scgt8p, https://herit.ag/385LhAH
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Joan Marie Halstead, a registered Republican, was charged by the state for voting twice in the 2020 general election. She voted once in-person in Florida and then voted again in her home state of New York via absentee ballot. Halstead was sentenced to a pretrial diversion program where her charges will be deferred at the end of 18 months if she successfully completes the program. Halstead was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service, to attend a civic education program, and to pay $400 in fines and court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3CC07Md, https://herit.ag/3R2l2wa
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Jay Ketcik, a registered Republican, was arrested and charged for voting twice in the 2020 general election. He voted once in Florida and again by mail in his home state of Michigan. He was sentenced to a pre-trial diversion program of 18 months, where upon completion his charged will be deferred. Ketcik was also sentenced to 50 hours community service, ordered to attend a civic education program, ordered to pay $52 per month in fees as part of the pretrial diversion program, and order to pay $400 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3sdbHXX , https://herit.ag/3sbQ9v2, https://herit.ag/385SCQP, https://herit.ag/382XzK9
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William Chase, of Walker County, a convicted felon, was charged with forgery, illegal acts regarding election documents, unlawful acts regarding elector's vote, and duplicate voting after filling out another person's absentee ballot in the January 2021 runoff election. The ballot was mistakenly sent to a P.O. Box at the former address of the registered voter. The voter inquired with the Walker County Elections Office when she did not receive her ballot, but her husband received his ballot. Election officials discovered Chase had submitted the woman’s ballot by forging her signature; Chase’s fingerprints were on the fraudulent ballot. Chase had also already submitted his own ballot in addition to the fraudulent absentee ballot. Chase was convicted by a jury on all counts and sentenced to 25 years, with 15 years to be served in prison and the remaining 10 years to be served on probation. He was also ordered to pay a $50 public defender application fee and "pay a probation supervision fee of $32 per month to the Probation Office and shall pay all fines, costs, restitution, and surcharges at the rate of $132 per month beginning within thirty days of release from custody."
Source: https://herit.ag/3XfVtuo , https://herit.ag/3XoSXCh
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James Bartlett was charged by the state in Dearborn County with one felony count each of perjury and fraudulent subscription of another person's name after his involvement in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme during the Lawrenceburg 2019 General Election. Bartlett, a former City of Lawrenceburg employee, worked with co-conspirator Troy Kemper to fill out fraudulent absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots. The fraud was detected by the Election Board because the signatures on the original voter registration forms did not match the signatures on the absentee ballot applications and the absentee ballots, and after contacting 20 voters, learned they did not apply for an absentee ballot or permit Kemper to turn in their ballot. Bartlett pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy of fraudulent subscription and was sentenced to 910 days in prison, which was suspended if he completes one year of probation without violation. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and fined and assessed court costs of $1,285. Upon completion of his probation, his felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Source: herit.ag/3HVQ99l , herit.ag/3HTrl1X , herit.ag/3RXuAdp
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Troy Kemper was charged by the state in Dearborn County with one felony count each of perjury and fraudulent subscription of another person's name after his involvement in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme during the Lawrenceburg 2019 General Election. Kemper was charged for his role in submitting fraudulent absentee ballot applications and ballots along with his co-conspirator James Bartlett. The fraud was detected by the Election Board because the signatures on the original voter registration forms did not match the signatures on the absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots, and after contacting 20 voters, learned they did not apply for an absentee ballot or permit Kemper to turn in their ballot. In exchange for agreeing to testify truthfully against James Bartlett and the state dismissing the fraudulent subscription charge, Kemper pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of perjury and was sentenced to 365 days with 363 days suspended, and he was assessed court costs and filing fees of $210.
Source: herit.ag/3XoQ4Rj , herit.ag/3HPWEdK , herit.ag/3HZrrov
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Trenae Myesha Rainey, 28, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of making a false statement on an absentee ballot application. During the 2020 general election, Rainey, an employee at an assisted living facility, completed roughly two dozen absentee voter applications, forging individual signatures of residents. She then handed over the ballots to another employee, whom she instructed to send the absentee ballot requests to the county election clerk. Rainey was sentenced to two years' probation, in which the first 45 days would be spent in the county jail.
Source: https://herit.ag/3K0oJzc, https://herit.ag/3DptHCW
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Carless Clark, 59, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of forging a signature on another individual's absentee ballot. In the 2020 general election, Clark signed and returned her grandson's absentee ballot, citing her concern that he would not have enough time to vote in-person on Election Day, which the grandson did. Clark was sentenced to twelve months' probation and nineteen days of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/3uFWbEt, https://herit.ag/3iRCVi4
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Abdihakim A. Essa, of Minneapolis, was accused of intentionally making or signing false certificates when submitting absentee ballots in Hennepin County. Essa, a non-citizen, forged his father's signature as a witness on the ballots. He pleaded guilty to four of the thirteen counts, all state felony offenses. He was sentenced to 180 days in an adult correctional facility; all but 90 days of this sentence was stayed pending successful completion of 2 years of supervised probation. He was also assessed $78 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3U025ev, https://herit.ag/3TYJwXY
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Muse Mohamed was charged with lying to a federal grand jury about his absentee ballot harvesting during the 2020 primary election in Minneapolis. Mohamed knowingly gave false information to a grand jury about his involvement in collecting and filling out absentee ballots on behalf of three individuals. While he claimed to have simply dropped off already filled-out ballots for those three people, the individuals did not know Mohamed and did not ask him to deliver their absentee ballots (one person had voted in-person on election day). He was convicted following a jury trial of two counts of making false statements to a grand jury. He is awaiting sentencing.
Source: https://herit.ag/3AtYuyP, https://herit.ag/3pqywpm, https://herit.ag/3bWQoFr
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Jill D. Kelley was charged by the state for voting more than once during the same election, felony offense. During the 2020 presidential primary, Jill Kelley voted once in person and once via absentee ballot, both votes cast in Minnesota. She was convicted of the felony charge, and sentenced to 1 year in jail, which was suspended to two years subject to good behavior. She was placed on probation for two years and assessed $289 in fines and fees.
Source: https://herit.ag/3CxWuq3 , https://herit.ag/3fwcFLt, https://herit.ag/3T0Ah9L
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Bradley Haugen was charged by the state with one felony count of intentionally making a false or untrue statement on an absentee ballot application. He requested an absentee ballot during the 2020 primary election indicating that he was eligible to vote despite being a convicted felon. Haugen pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $214 in fines and fees. If Haugen successfully completes probation, the conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Source: https://herit.ag/3rsmFbw, https://herit.ag/3SZ61vB, https://herit.ag/3SYX2Ld
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Caitlyn Croom, of Wake County, was changed by the state for her role in connection with an absentee ballot trafficking during the 2016 general election. Croom conspired with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County, to unlawfully collect ballots from voters, falsely claim to have witnessed the voter casting his or her vote, and then mail the ballots in a manner intended to conceal that the voter had not mailed the ballot. Croom was charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit felonious obstruction of justice, possession of absentee ballot, and conspiracy to possess absentee ballot. Croom pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to possess absentee ballot in exchange for the dismissal of the other charges. Croom was sentenced to 45 days in the misdemeanor confinement program, which was suspended for 12 months of supervised probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/3GpwtKm
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Ginger S. Eason, of Wake County, was charged by the state for her role in connection with an absentee ballot trafficking scheme to benefit Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris during the 2016 general and 2018 primary elections. Eason and others were affiliated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County and a consultant for Harris. Eason and others would unlawfully collect ballots from voters, falsely claim to have witnessed the voter casting his or her vote, and then mail the ballots in a manner to conceal that the voter had not mailed the ballot. Eason pleaded guilty to three felony charges: conspiracy to commit felonious obstruction of justice, possession of absentee ballot, and conspiracy to commit possession of absentee ballot. Eason was sentenced to 45 days in a misdemeanor confinement program which was suspended to a sentence of 12 months of probation, ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, and assessed fees and costs of $696.
Source: https://herit.ag/3guUl6q
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Tonia M. Gordon, of Wake County, was changed by the state for her role in connection with an absentee ballot trafficking scheme to benefit Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris during the 2016 general and 2018 primary elections. Gordon and others were affiliated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County and a consultant for Harris. Eason and others would unlawfully collect ballots from voters, falsely claim to have witnessed the voter casting his or her vote, and then mail the ballots in a manner to conceal that the voter had not mailed the ballot. Gordon pleaded guilty to three felony charges: conspiracy to commit felonious obstruction of justice, possession of absentee ballot, and conspiracy to commit possession of absentee ballot. Gordon was sentenced to 120 days in a misdemeanor confinement program which was suspended to a sentence of 12 months of probation, ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, and assessed fees and costs of $956.
Source: https://herit.ag/3ViDNgB
Key & Definitions
Types of Cases
Any case that results in a defendant entering a plea of guilty or no contest, or being found guilty in court of election-related offenses.
A finding by a court of law that fraud occurred in an election, including judicial orders overturning election results or ordering a new election due to fraud.
Any civil case resulting in fines or other penalties imposed for a violation of election laws.
A finding by a government body that fraud occurred in an election, including orders overturning election results or ordering a new election due to fraud.
Any criminal case in which a judge directs a defendant into a pre-trial diversion program, or stays or defers adjudication with the understanding that the conviction will be cleared upon completion of the program.
Types of Voter Fraud
Requesting absentee ballots and voting without the knowledge of the actual voter; or obtaining the absentee ballot from a voter and either filling it in directly and forging the voter’s signature or illegally telling the voter who to vote for.
Illegal registration and voting by individuals who are not U.S. citizens, are convicted felons, or are otherwise not eligible to vote.
Voting in the name of other legitimate voters and voters who have died, moved away, or lost their right to vote because they are felons, but remain registered.
Paying voters to cast either an in-person or absentee ballot for a particular candidate.
Forging the signatures of registered voters on the ballot petitions that must be filed with election officials in some states for a candidate or issue to be listed on the official ballot
Registering in multiple locations and voting in the same election in more than one jurisdiction or state.
Voting under fraudulent voter registrations that either use a phony name and a real or fake address or claim residence in a particular jurisdiction where the registered voter does not actually live and is not entitled to vote.
Changing the actual vote count either in a precinct or at the central location where votes are counted.
Forcing or intimidating voters—particularly the elderly, disabled, illiterate, and those for whom English is a second language—to vote for particular candidates while supposedly providing them with “assistance.”
