Election Fraud Cases

Jenny Wanasek

Jenny Wanasek was the petition circulator for the recall of Governor Scott Walker who deliberately looked away so that Caitlin B. Haycock could sign her parents' names on the petition. Wanasek pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for failing to cross out the parents' names before turning in the petition. Wanasek was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and was fined $500 as conditions of probation.

Source: bit.ly/2f1LsPz, bit.ly/2e8IKsr

Dallas Toler

Dallas Toler, former Mingo County Chief Magistrate, pleaded guilty to voter registration fraud. He submitted a voter registration for someone he knew was a convicted felon. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Source: https://herit.ag/3BeNiD1, https://herit.ag/3vKVHgx, https://herit.ag/2XLMrw2

Venustiano Hernandez-Hernandez

Venustiano Hernandez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant, registered to vote under the name Severo Benavidez in 1984 and voted in the 1996 and 2008 general elections, the 2002 primary election, and special elections in 2003 and 2009. After being deported in 1974, he obtained a false birth certificate, which he used to collect Social Security disability benefits and register to vote. As part of a plea deal, Hernandez-Hernandez admitted to having committed all of the charged conduct, and pleaded guilty to social security fraud and theft of public money (the voter fraud charges were dropped in exchange for his plea to the other charges). Prosecutors surmised that Hernandez-Hernandez received approximately $80,000 in disability payments between 2008 and 2012. As a result of his stolen identity, the real Severo Benevidez was denied Social Security payments. Hernandez-Hernandez was scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2012.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x7xLDb, https://herit.ag/3zGwEff

Shelia Pritchett

Shelia Pritchett, of Phenix City, was charged with two counts of second-degree forgery and two counts of absentee ballot fraud stemming from illegal activity while working for a 2012 candidate for municipal office. Pritchett pleaded guilty to all four counts and was sentenced to 22 months of probation, and fined $2,500. A spokeswoman for the Russell County district attorney confirmed the disposition of this case.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l0q530

Stephanie Elias

Stephanie Elias, of Columbus, was charged with four counts of second-degree forgery and four counts of absentee ballot fraud stemming from illegal activity while working for a 2012 candidate for municipal office in Phenix City. Elias pleaded guilty to all eight counts and was sentenced to 22 months of probation, and fined $2,500. A spokeswoman for the Russell County district attorney confirmed confirmed the disposition of this case.

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

Hudson Hallum, Kent Hallum, Phillip Wayne Carter, and Sam Malone

Democratic Rep. Hudson Hallum, his father Kent Hallum, and two campaign workers, Phillip Wayne Carter and Sam Malone, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit election fraud. The lawmaker's campaign bribed absentee voters and destroyed ballots in the Arkansas District 54 primary, runoff, and general elections in 2011. Hudson Hallam was sentenced to one year of home detention, three years' probation, and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service. Kent Hallum received probation and nine months' home confinement. Sam Malone received three years' probation (7.2 months of which was home confinement), and 100 hours of community service. Carter received three years' probation (five months of which was monitored home confinement) 100 hours of community service, and a $2,500 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3BJy3nb, https://herit.ag/3iS6Kyo

Sheriff Michael David Hays

Former candidate for Mohave County Sheriff Michael David Hays pleaded guilty to a charge of voter fraud for claiming on a voter registration form to be a resident of the county when he actually was not. Hays used a campaign worker's address in Mohave County when he filled out paperwork to run for sheriff.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x95coW

Vernon, CA

A City Council election (originally decided by four votes) in Vernon, California is overturned when it is determined that five people who voted for the winner were not residents of the city, and two others had not properly mailed in their ballots. A new winner was subsequently named.

Source: https://herit.ag/3761dPs

Ricardo Lopez-Munguia

Ricardo Lopez-Munguia, a Mexican who was deported decades ago for drug trafficking, pleaded guilty to living illegally in Escondido under a false identity and fraudulently voting in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Source: https://herit.ag/2TE5eHH

Angel Perales and David Silva

Officials in the small town of Cudahy took part in a widespread corruption scheme that included accepting cash bribes, abusing drugs at City Hall, and throwing out absentee ballots that favored election challengers. After a lengthy FBI Investigation of the 2007 and 2009 elections, the former head of code enforcement, Angel Perales, admitted to tampering with mail-in ballots in city elections by opening them and then resealing and submitting votes for incumbent candidates while discarding votes for challengers. He and Mayor David Silva pleaded guilty to bribery and extortion charges, although Perales' plea agreement included his admission of election fraud. Silva was sentenced to one year in federal prison. Perales was sentenced to five years' probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3yaLiLo , https://herit.ag/3EcTi14

Brittany Curtis

In 2012, Brittany Curtis pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant when she forged signatures and voter information on a ballot petition. She was given a deferred sentence of two years and fined $1,653.50.

Source: https://herit.ag/3zpVK1z, https://herit.ag/3i8MVnk

Josef Sever

Josef Sever was charged and convicted of illegal voting. Sever was a Canadian citizen who nonetheless cast a ballot in two presidential elections. He also lied about his citizenship status to obtain a firearm. He was convicted and sentenced to five months in prison and almost certain deportation to Canada.

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

Sergio Robaina

Sergio Robaina (the uncle of former Hialeah mayor) was charged with illegally collecting absentee ballots, a misdemeanor, and with felony voter fraud charges for allegedly filling out a ballot against the wishes of two voters, one of them a woman with dementia. Robaina pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of absentee ballots and was sentenced to one year of probation.

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

Mark Evangelous

Mark Evangelous was charged with violating absentee voting laws, uttering a false document, and forgery related to his submission of an absentee ballot application in the name of a deceased voter. Evangelous claimed he had input the name of his sister-in-law incorrectly. The absentee ballot charge was dismissed, and the judge continued his case without a finding for a year, ordering him to complete 200 hours of community service.

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

Terry Hambrick

Terry Hambrick tried to steal the identity of his dead brother Aaron in order to secure a driver's license. As part of his identity theft scheme, Hambrick registered to vote. When he was stopped for suspected drunk driving, the police learned his real identity. He ultimately pleaded guilty to identity theft and two counts of perjury, including one in connection with his false voter registration. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence at a correctional facility.

Source: https://herit.ag/3f2Sq54