Election Fraud Cases

Perth Amboy City Council

Fernando Gonzalez won a seat on the Perth Amboy City Council by 10 votes in an election where at least 13 illegal absentee ballots were cast. A Superior Court judge subsequently overturned the election results and ordered a new election be held in May 2015 for the seat.

Source: https://herit.ag/3iVp35W, https://herit.ag/3BOrBeP

Eugene W. Victor

Eugene Victor wanted to prove a point about the potential for fraud in New Mexico elections by committing fraud himself. Mr. Victor cast a ballot in his son's name and later turned himself in to the authorities. He pleaded no contest to a fourth-degree felony charge of false voting and is serving 18 months' probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3jG7WWR, https://herit.ag/3ExTzft

Frank Sparaco

Frank Sparaco was, as his overseeing judge referred to him, a "rising star [who] has fallen very quickly, very far." A Rockland County Legislator, Sparaco pleaded guilty to eight misdemeanor charges for filing election petitions that nominated individuals to Clarkstown Republican Committee positions, while listing addresses that were not their true residences. In addition, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of furnishing false information by "renting" a room in his home so that he could register two other individuals to vote. He was forced to resign from his $103,000-per-year county legislator position and was sentenced to serve eight weekends of county jail time followed by three years' probation. He will be ineligible to hold political office during the probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l9XLLA

Lorain, OH

On election night, it appeared that political newcomer Ryan Horn defeated incumbent City Councilman Dennis Flores in the primary for Lorain City Council Democratic Ward 2. Flores claimed, through his attorney, that the voting was rigged. Following a lengthy trial, Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Betleski invalidated the initial election results and declared Flores to be the winner. For each ballot he tossed, Betelski outlined why it was not authorized and, hence, illegitimate.

Source: https://herit.ag/3742y9k

Eugene Gallagher

Eugene Gallagher pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in connection with the November 2013 election, in which he was a candidate for councilman in the Taylor Borough. He unlawfully persuaded Taylor residents and non-residents to register for absentee ballots in the election using a Taylor address. Gallagher was the top vote-getter in the election and won his first term as councilman. With his guilty plea, Gallagher can no longer hold public office. A judge sentenced him to a maximum of 10 months in jail and two months of house arrest for both his election fraud conviction and a DUI conviction. He was also sentenced to more than five years of court supervision and 200 hours of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l0pZbE

Janice Howe

Janice Howe pleaded guilty to a charge of perjury stemming from Howe's 1999 forgery of petition signatures. At the time, Howe indicated she had witnessed voters sign their names to the petition. Though she was formally charged in 2002, she was not arrested until 2015. She received a suspended four-year prison sentence and was given four years of probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/2UUrttt

Annette Bosworth

Annette Bosworth, a doctor in Sioux Falls, challenged former Governor Mike Rounds for one of South Dakota's U.S. Senate seats in the 2014 Republican primary. She lost, but upon review of her petition, officials discovered that six of the petitions she submitted to the Secretary of State's office contained discrepancies. Bosworth was out of the country on a medical-aid mission trip in the Philippines when her campaign manager, Mike Davis, collected the signatures and filed them on her behalf. However, South Dakota law requires candidates to personally witness each signature on the circulating petition. Additionally, when she signed off on each of the six petitions, she verified that she had personally witnessed the signatures. She was originally charged with six counts of felony perjury, but the charges were later reduced and she was found guilty of offering false or forged instruments for filing. Bosworth was sentenced to 500 hours of community service and parole.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i7evBl, https://herit.ag/3iVp3Tu

Clayton G. Walker

Clayton Walker, a former U.S. Senate candidate, pleaded guilty to one count of offering a false or forged instrument for filing and one count of perjury, both of which are Class 6 felonies. Walker submitted 3,374 signatures on a nominating petition to gain placement on the ballot as an Independent; half of those signatures were subsequently determined to be invalid. After pleading guilty, Walker received two concurrent two-year sentences, with both suspended pending good behavior. Walker was also sentenced to 200 hours of community service with two years of probation and was required to receive a mental health evaluation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l2W2bg, https://herit.ag/3x2t1i4, https://herit.ag/3zLTUst

Vicenta Guajardo Verino

Following an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office, Vicenta Guajardo Verino was charged with engaging in election fraud, along with five others during the 2012 Democratic Primary runoff election in Cameron County. After admitting that he provided illegal 'assistance' at the polls, Verino entered into a deferred adjudication agreement. She was required to complete 12 months' supervised probation and ordered to pay a fine of $250.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rK1ild

Tamara Scotch

Tamara Scotch and her husband, Michael, of Edwards County, voted in a district other than the one in which they resided in a 2013 municipal election. The Scotches both falsely listed their residence as being in Rocksprings, and voted there, despite not living in the city. Tamara was charged with two counts of illegal voting and two counts of tampering with a government record. Tamara pleaded no contest to illegal voting in exchange for the state dropping the other charges. She was sentenced to 24 months' deferred adjudication during which she was on community supervision, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i4UR9d, https://herit.ag/3j9ZlLd

Benito Aranda Jr.

Benito Aranda Jr., who was ineligible to vote due to a prior felony conviction, voted illegally in a 2012 primary election. Aranda pled guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, probated to 10 years of community supervision.

Source: https://herit.ag/3yakNFV, Case no. 14-0713-904-CR

Margarita Rangel Ozuna

Following an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office, Margarita Rangel Ozuna was charged with engaging in election fraud, along with five others during the 2012 Democratic Primary runoff election in Cameron County. Ozuna pleaded guilty to charges of fraudulent use of absentee ballots and was sentenced to serve 15 days in Cameron County jail and required to pay a $250 fine. This was the second time that Ozuna was convicted of voter fraud. In 2013, she was convicted of felony voter fraud stemming from the 2010 election.

Source: bit.ly/2E3q99l, bit.ly/2pL2B4H

Avery Ayers

Avery Ayers, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, forged signatures on a petition for candidacy in the 2014 General Election race in Texas. Ayers pled guilty to one count of third degree felony forgery and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Source: https://herit.ag/3y85HRf, Case no. 1476757

Sara Virginia Perales

Following an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office, Sara Virginia Perales was charged with engaging in election fraud, along with five others during the 2012 Democratic Primary runoff election in Cameron County. After admitting that she falsified absentee ballots, Perales entered into a deferred adjudication agreement. She was required to complete 12 months' probation and pay a $150 fine, in addition to being barred from engaging in voting activities.

Source: bit.ly/2pRIEbx, bit.ly/2pL2B4H

Francisco "Frankie" Garcia, Rebecca Gonzalez, Diana Balderas Castaneda, and Guadalupe Escamilla

In the Donna School Board race, four campaign workers participated in a scheme that involved buying votes with cocaine, cash, beer, and cigarettes. All four pleaded guilty; Garcia received an 18-month sentence, and Castaneda received an eight-month sentence with credit for cooperating against her co-defendants.

Source: bit.ly/2e8xPPu, bit.ly/2uesT2u