Election Fraud Cases

Trinidad Villalobos

Trinidad Villalobos was convicted by a jury of illegally possessing and transporting ballots belonging to multiple voters during the 2004 primary. According to witnesses, Villalobos offered to assist elderly voters fill out applications for absentee ballots and would later collect and mail those ballots. Unauthorized possession of ballots is a misdemeanor under Texas law. Villalobos received six months of probation for each charge.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x9300o

Elida Garza Flores

Elida Garza Flores, of Nueces County, was charged with one count of "possessing of an official ballot or carrier envelope of another." In a 2005 school district election, she targeted the elderly by going door-to-door to obtain votes, and then took the ballots to the post office for mailing. She was admitted into a one-year pretrial diversion program, which included 12 months of community supervision. She conspired to engage in vote harvesting with Virginia Ramos Garza, Isabel Rios Gonzalez, and Josefina Marinas Suarez, all of whom were charged and ultimately admitted into diversion programs or received deferred adjudications.

Source: Case No. 05-CR-9805-4 (Information obtained from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas), bit.ly/2GT3PVA

Isabel Rios Gonzalez

Isabel Rios Gonzalez, of Nueces County, entered a plea of nolo contendere to two counts of "possessing of an official ballot or carrier envelope of another." In a 2005 school district election, she targeted the elderly by going door-to-door to obtain votes, and then took the ballots to the post office for mailing. She was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication, 12 months of community supervision, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. She conspired to engage in vote harvesting with Virginia Ramos Garza, Elida Garza Flores, and Josefina Marinas Suarez, all of whom were charged and ultimately admitted into diversion programs or received deferred adjudications.

Source: Case No. 05-CR-9808-3 (Information obtained from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas), bit.ly/2GT3PVA

Jane Kay Balogh

Balogh was found guilty of making false or misleading statements to a public servant, as well as absentee ballot fraud and registration fraud. In 2006, Balogh registered her dog, Duncan, to vote under her address and telephone number and successfully completed and mailed an absentee ballot for him. Balogh claimed she was drawing attention to flaws in the absentee ballot system. She received a one-year deferred sentence, and was ordered to perform 10 hours of community service and pay court fees of $240.

Source: https://herit.ag/2UWDyyn, https://herit.ag/3BLKrmH

Connie Tyree, Frank "Pinto" Smith, Booker Cooke, Jr., Flephus Hardy, Garria Spencer, Althenia Spencer, Racing Commissioner Lester "Bop" Brown, and Spiver Gordon

The Birmingham Office of the U.S. Attorney and the Alabama Attorney General conducted an extensive joint investigation of absentee ballot fraud allegations in Greene County in the November 1994 election. By the end of the investigation, nine defendants pleaded guilty to voter fraud and two others were found guilty by a jury. The defendants included Greene County commissioners, officials, and employees; a racing commissioner; a member of the board of education; a Eutaw city councilman; and other community leaders. The conspiracy included using an assembly line to mass produce forged absentee ballots meant to swing elections in favor of preferred candidates.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i71R5v

Prenzina Holloway

Prenzina Holloway, of Hartford, Connecticut, voted using another voter's absentee ballot in the 2004 Democratic primary. She was ordered to pay a civil penalty to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission in the amount of $10,000, but she was only required to pay $2,000 because of financial hardship. Ironically, she was later hired by the Hartford Democratic registrar of voters to work in connection with a 2009 municipal election.

Source: https://herit.ag/3iWBDlc, bit.ly/2uw0EtM

Johnny Wayne Akers

Johnny Wayne Akers, of Hardeman County, was charged with six counts of "possession of an official ballot or carrier envelope of another" for engaging in vote harvesting activities during a 2004 primary election in Texas. He pleaded guilty to possession of an official ballot, and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.

Source: Case No. 013449 (Information obtained from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas)

Melva Kay Ponce

Melva Kay Ponce was convicted for mailing in an absentee ballot for her deceased mother in the November 2004 general election. She pleaded guilty to one charge of illegal voter registration and was sentenced to two years of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/2WlQZrP, https://herit.ag/3x92VK8

Doris McFarland

Doris McFarland's husband passed away before he could vote in the 2004 election, and Mrs. McFarland decided to cast his absentee ballot. She later admitted to double voting in that year's election but avoided jail time. She was ordered to pay court fees and a $490 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rEWfCp, https://herit.ag/3EjcJW5

Robert Victor Holmgren

Robert Victor Holmgren cast a ballot for his recently-deceased wife in the 2004 general election. He pleaded guilty to voting twice in an election and was ordered to pay $490 in fines and court fees.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rDWBt7, https://herit.ag/3y9ytkE

Leander Brooks

A former election judge, Leander Brooks, pleaded guilty to election fraud in the 2002 election. He forged signatures of three dead people on absentee ballot applications. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $400 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3f2YDhs, Docket # 03-CR-30201-DRH

Patricia Deganutti

Patricia Deganutti was found guilty of violating Illinois absentee ballot law by "unlawful observation of voting." While serving as a precinct captain in Cicero, Illinois, she visited a voter's home and persuaded him to apply for an absentee ballot, then returned and told him how to fill it out, and left with the completed ballot. She was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3kZqq63, https://herit.ag/2TG2nxW

Eva Corrigan

Eva Corrigan admitted to failing to co-sign the absentee ballots of those she assisted. She was ordered by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission to pay a $100 civil penalty.

Source: bit.ly/2u4xi8p

Barnaby Horton

Former state representative Barnaby Horton was charged with absentee ballot fraud after he was caught inducing elderly residents to cast absentee ballots for him. After a lengthy court battle, he pleaded guilty to felony charges of ballot fraud and agreed to pay a $10,000 fine, one of the largest fines ever imposed by the State Elections Enforcement Commission. A Superior Court judge sentenced Horton to two years' probation and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rDnk9g

Michelle Chandler

Michelle Chandler, a worker in the city controller's office, was charged with a fraudulent receipt of ballot, voting outside of her district, and perjury in connection to misconduct during the 2003 East Chicago Democratic mayoral primary. She was found guilty of one count of perjury in a jury trial, a felony, and given one year of probation. Fraud in this 2003 mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election that resulted in a different winner.

Source: https://herit.ag/3kYm67j