Election Fraud Cases

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StateArizonaYear2022NameKrista Michelle ConnorCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls, Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

Krista Michelle Connor, 55, pleaded guilty to one felony count of Attempted Illegal Voting. Connor had signed and cast an early mail-in ballot in the name of her mother, Jeanne Sullivan, who died a month prior to the 2020 general election. She was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $890.

Source: https://herit.ag/3sc3IKT, https://herit.ag/3QQGTqG, https://herit.ag/3sbfo0m

StateCaliforniaYear2022NameElizabeth GaleCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeFraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

Elizabeth Gale of San Diego was charged by the state with four felony counts of fraudulently casting a vote, impersonating a voter, attempting to vote as a fictious person, and personate with a written instrument after casting an absentee ballot on behalf of her deceased mother during the 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. After absentee ballots were sent to all registered Madera County voters, Gale filled out the ballot, forged her mother's signature, and falsely swore as a witness to her mother signing the ballot. Gale pleaded nolo contendere to one felony count of fraudulently casting a vote. She was sentenced to two years’ probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3QKH06Z, https://herit.ag/3KdLJve

StateColoradoYear2022NameBarry MorphewCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeFraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

Barry Morphew was charged with one count of forgery and one count of a mail-in ballot offense after submitting a completed absentee ballot on behalf of his missing wife during the 2020 general election in Chaffee County. Morphew told the FBI he submitted the fraudulent ballot because he "wanted Trump to win." He pleaded guilty to one felony charge of forgery and was sentenced to one year of probation. He was also fined and assessed court costs of $600.

Source: https://herit.ag/3dwxSnD, https://herit.ag/3A0olNf

StateNew JerseyYear2022NameFrederick GattusoCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeFalse Registrations, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

Frederick Gattuso, former Carteret Republican mayoral candidate, was charged with one count of fraudulent voting for voting twice during the November 2020 presidential election as different people with similar names. Gattuso pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with public records and was sentenced to one year of probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3CgCA39

StateNew YorkYear2022NameKimberly McPhersonCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls, Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

Kimberly McPherson, a city of Troy council member and Republican, pleaded guilty to one count of identity theft for casting absentee ballots in the names of two other people in the 2021 city council election. In seeking re-election, McPherson cast at least one absentee ballot on behalf of another during the primary election, and during the general election cast absentee ballots for at least two people other than herself. As part of her plea agreement, McPherson has agreed to resign her position on the city council. She faces up to 5 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 when she is sentenced.

Source: https://herit.ag/3OObF1U , https://herit.ag/3QRV7HP

StatePennsylvaniaYear2022NameFrancis PrestoCase TypeDiversion ProgramFraud TypeFraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

Francis Presto of South Park, a registered Republican, requested and cast an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased wife. He was charged with felonies for interfering with an election and unlawful use of a computer and a misdemeanor charge for forging a ballot. He was sentenced to a diversion program of 2 years and ordered to complete 250 hours of community service. His charges will be dropped upon completion of the terms of his diversion program.

Source: https://herit.ag/3ONL8BN, https://herit.ag/3P2FQT9, https://herit.ag/3OM1RoO

StatePennsylvaniaYear2022NameMelissa FisherCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeFraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

Melissa Fisher was charged with a misdemeanor count of violating absentee and mail-in ballot provisions after signing and submitting an absentee ballot on behalf of her deceased mother during the 2020 general election in Quakertown. She pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and two unrelated theft charges and was sentenced to 3 to 23 months in prison and 3 years’ probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3A4ZlUV

StatePennsylvaniaYear2022NameCheryl MihaliakCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls, Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

Cheryl Mihaliak was charged by the state in Lancaster County with two counts of forging and destroying ballots after filling out and submitting an absentee ballot on behalf of her deceased mother during the May 2022 primary election. Mihaliak had requested an absentee ballot for her and her mother (Teresa Mihaliak), as her caregiver, but her mother died on April 14 before she could fill out the ballot. However, the county board of elections received a ballot for the mother completed by her daughter on April 28. Mihaliak pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of forging and destroying ballots and was sentenced to 2 years of probation, assessed $1,610.75 in fines and fees, and is barred from voting for 4 years.

Source: https://herit.ag/46vmWwi , https://herit.ag/3MWw8mt , https://herit.ag/3GhgU7H

StateOhioYear2021NameEdward SnodgrassCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeFraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

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

StatePennsylvaniaYear2021NameRalph Holloway ThurmanCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

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

StateFloridaYear2020NameLarry WigginsCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls, Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

Larry Wiggins, 62, a registered Democrat from Sarasota, was charged by the state with one count of vote by mail fraud after he requested a mail-in ballot on behalf of his deceased wife during the 2020 general election. Election staff discovered the fraud during a routine check of the voter rolls, which revealed that his wife had died two years earlier. Wiggins forged his wife's signature on the ballot request form, and admitted that he intended to mail it back once he received it, but he was stopped by law enforcement. He pleaded nolo contendere to one count of vote-by-mail fraud, and was sentenced to 24 months’ probation, 100 hours of community service, and assessed $738 in court costs, fees, and fines.

Source: https://herit.ag/3Etplfa, https://herit.ag/3Vhy62G

StateColoradoYear2017NameSarilu Sosa-SanchezCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeFraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots, Duplicate Voting, Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

Sarilu Sosa-Sanchez voted twice in the 2013 election, once in her own name and once in the name of her late mother. Sosa-Sanchez pleaded guilty to a felony forgery charge after admitting she forged her late mother's signature on a ballot. Sh also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor double voting charge. Sosa-Sanchez was sentenced to 60 hours of community service, was ordered to pay restitution and court fees, and will help the clerk and recorder's office educate other residents about the consequences of voter fraud.

Source: https://herit.ag/3nR7Tuo, https://herit.ag/2ZjLpIh, https://herit.ag/3kpHOAr

StateTexasYear2017NameManuel Rodriguez IIICase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Manuel Rodriguez III, of Edwards County, impersonated his elderly grandfather to vote in the 2014 general election while on supervised parole for a felony. He was charged with two counts of illegal voting, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to serve two years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division.

Source: https://herit.ag/3BEYvOK, https://herit.ag/3f4Ygmm

StateTexasYear2017NameJeanene JohnsonCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Jeanene Johnson pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing a ballot. Johnson assisted Latunia Thomas, a fellow Harris County poll worker, to unlawfully cast a ballot for her daughter, who was not present. Johnson served one day in jail and was released.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i71gk2

StateTexasYear2017NameLatunia ThomasCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Latunia Thomas pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing a ballot. Thomas forged her daughter's signature and cast a ballot in her name although she was not present at the polls. Thomas was assisted by Jeanene Johnson, both poll workers in Harris County, Texas. Thomas was released after serving one day in jail.

Source: bit.ly/2tvfjFi, bit.ly/2sv75vz

StatePennsylvaniaYear2016NameCheryl Ali (aka Cheryl Jamison)Case TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Cheryl Ali, 57, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges: unlawful assistance in voting, and falsely holding the position of an election officer. In the May 2014 primary, Ali voted on behalf of her mother, whom she claimed was ill. In the May 2014 general election, Ali served as machine inspector at a polling place even though she did not live in that division. Ali was sentenced to one year of probation and stripped of her voting rights for the next four years. As part of her plea bargain, the felony charges against her were dismissed.

Source: https://herit.ag/3tX2vH1, https://herit.ag/3zHOZZC

StatePennsylvaniaYear2016NameRobin Trainor, Laura MurtaughCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Robin Trainor, 56, and Laura Murtaugh, 57, were each sentenced to a year of probation and will not be allowed to vote for the next four years after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of election code violations. According to witnesses, Trainor, who was serving as the judge of elections at the polling place (even though she was disqualified from doing so as a public official), went into the voting booth with her husband and told him how to vote. She then stepped out of the voting booth, spoke to Murtaugh (who was serving as the minority elections inspector at the polling place), signed the election register under her 23-year-old son's name, reset the voting machine, returned to the voting booth, and cast a ballot in his name. Trainor pleaded guilty to two charges--failure to perform duty and falsely holding the position of an election officer--and Murtaugh pleaded guilty to failure to perform her duty. As part of their plea bargains, the felony charges against them were dismissed.

Source: bit.ly/2f8z2D8, https://herit.ag/3tX2vH1

StateMassachusettsYear2015NameMark AtlasCase TypeDiversion ProgramFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Mark Atlas, of Worchester, Massachusetts, was charged in 2013 with voter fraud for voting under someone else's name. Although Atlas' attorney claimed it was just a prank, he admitted to sufficient facts for a guilty finding. The charge was continued without a finding for one year, and Atlas was ordered to pay $1000 in court costs, as well as serve 200 hours of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3y8oSu9, https://herit.ag/3x95sEq, https://herit.ag/3zHOMFO

StateNew MexicoYear2015NameEugene W. VictorCase TypeDiversion ProgramFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

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

StateTexasYear2015NameHazel Brionne WoodardCase TypeDiversion ProgramFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Hazel Woodard, a Democratic Precinct Chairwoman candidate in Fort Worth, was concerned that her husband would not make it to the polls to vote, so she had her teenage son vote for him. The impersonation went undetected until the husband went to the polls later that day and tried to cast a second ballot in his name. Hazel was indicted for impersonation fraud at the polls, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to two years of deferred adjudication probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i4LiXS

StateTexasYear2013NameLorenzo Antonio Almanza, Jr.Case TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls, Duplicate Voting

Lorenzo Antonio Almanza, of Progreso, was convicted of voting twice in Progreso's 2009 school board election, once in his own name and once using his incarcerated brother's name. Almanza was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and five years of probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x92Upy, https://herit.ag/3yl7X7K

StateTexasYear2011NameReyna AlmanzaCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Almanza was charged with illegal voting and voter impersonation in a 2009 school district election. Almanza and one of her sons cast votes at a polling place. Later, Almanza brought her son back to the polls, where he cast a vote in the name of his incarcerated brother. She received a two-year suspended sentence, five years' probation, 90 days in county jail, and court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3BL5CVW, https://herit.ag/3f22riK, https://herit.ag/370ayrY

StateTexasYear2011NameDelores McMillianCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Delores McMillian, a poll worker in Dallas, pleaded guilty to trying to vote using another person's voter registration information in the 2010 primary election. Another poll worker prevented her from casting a falsified ballot. She was sentenced to one year of probation and was ordered to pay $227 in court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/2THy222, https://herit.ag/3l5Qnku

StateTexasYear2009NameJack Carol CrowderCase TypeDiversion ProgramFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Jack Carol Crowder pleaded guilty to one count of fraudulent use of identifying information. Crowder impersonated his deceased father in the 2008 Democratic primary in Harris County. Crowder used his father's registration card to cast a ballot in his name. He was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $200 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3y9yt48, https://herit.ag/3zHOOxq

StateTennesseeYear2005NameMary Lou SimpsonCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Mary Lou Simpson of Manchester was arrested after the 2004 election for attempting to vote in the name of her deceased sister. Ms. Simpson was spotted by a poll worker who recognized that she had already voted earlier in the day. The facts have been confirmed by the district attorney's office which prosecuted the case. The then 63-year-old woman was convicted of a Class E felony which is punishable by up to two years in prison.

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

StateAlabamaYear2004NameShasta Nicole CraytonCase TypeCriminal ConvictionFraud TypeImpersonation Fraud At The Polls

Crayton was convicted of impersonation fraud for illegally voting in her sister's name during the 2002 election. She was caught when her sister tried to vote and the poll workers at the precinct found that her name had already been marked as having voted. Crayton pleaded guilty and received a two-year prison sentence, which was reduced to time already served plus two years' probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/2TE59Up

Key & Definitions

Types of Cases

Criminal Conviction

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.

Judicial Finding

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.

Civil Penalty

Any civil case resulting in fines or other penalties imposed for a violation of election laws.

Official Finding

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.

Diversion Program

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

Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

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.

Ineligible Voting

Illegal registration and voting by individuals who are not U.S. citizens, are convicted felons, or are otherwise not eligible to vote.

Impersonation Fraud At The Polls

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.

Buying Votes

Paying voters to cast either an in-person or absentee ballot for a particular candidate.

Ballot Petition Fraud

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

Duplicate Voting

Registering in multiple locations and voting in the same election in more than one jurisdiction or state.

False Registrations

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.

Altering The Vote Count

Changing the actual vote count either in a precinct or at the central location where votes are counted.

Illegal "Assistance" At The Polls

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.”