Election Fraud Cases
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
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
Rebecca D. Thompson, 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. Gordon and others were affiliated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County and a consultant for Harris. Thompson 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. Thompson 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 $643.50.
Source: https://herit.ag/3TYJwHs
Kelly Hendrix, 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. Hendrix and others were affiliated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County and a consultant for Harris. Hendrix 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. Hendrix pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of absentee ballot. Hendrix 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 $793.50.
Source: https://herit.ag/3TZLIhX, https://herit.ag/3VnCsW1
James Singletary, of Wake County, was charged by the state for his role in connection with an absentee ballot trafficking scheme to benefit Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris during the 2018 general election. Singletary was charged with conspiracy to commit felonious obstruction of justice, possession of absentee ballot, and conspiracy to commit possession of absentee ballot. Singletary and others were affiliated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County and a consultant for Harris. Singletary and others unlawfully collected ballots from voters, falsely claimed to have witnessed the voter casting his or her vote, and mailed the ballots in a manner intended to conceal that the voter had not mailed the ballot. Singletary pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to possess an absentee ballot and was sentenced to 120 days in the misdemeanor confinement program, which was suspended to 12 months of supervised probation, and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay $393.50 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3iu2mta
Jessica Dowless, 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 2018 general election. Dowless was charged with conspiracy to commit felonious obstruction of justice, swearing falsely, and conspiracy to swear falsely. Dowless and others were affiliated with Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative in Bladen County and a consultant for Harris. Dowless and others unlawfully collected ballots from voters, falsely claimed to have witnessed the voter casting his or her vote, and then mailed the ballots in a manner intended to conceal that the voter had not mailed the ballot. Dowless pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to swear falsely in exchange for dismissal of the other charges and was sentenced to 120 days in the misdemeanor confinement program, which was suspended to 12 months of supervised probation, and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay court costs and fees of $858.50.
Source: https://herit.ag/3jYSbx7
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
Steve Curtis Thompson II was charged by the state in Moore County with one felony count of voter registration fraud after voting twice in the 2012 General Election. He voted in person in North Carolina and again by absentee ballot in Florida. He pleaded guilty pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, a 1970 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows a defendant to plead guilty while still asserting his innocence, and was ordered to pay $225 in court costs.
Source: herit.ag/3IhsiSZ , herit.ag/3IlcwXh
| A general election for the seat in the Ninth Congressional district was decertified by North Carolina State Board of Elections after credible allegations of absentee ballot abuse arose. Officials became suspicious when 61% of the vote-by-mail ballots were cast for the Republican candidate, despite the fact that only 16% of the mail-by-ballot were registered Republicans. Multiple people, including the Republican candidate's son, expressed their suspicions that a political contractor illegally organized the collection of absentee ballots and completed empty mail-in ballots. The Board of Elections ordered a new election to fill the seat and the contractor was subsequently indicted. |
Source: https://herit.ag/3f1kupv
Denslo Allen Paige, of Wake County was found guilty of aiding and abetting voting by an alien. Paige, a volunteer and former election official, was found to have assisted her boyfriend, Guadalupe Espinosa-Pena, a non-citizen, to register and vote in the 2016 general election. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months in prison, one year of probation, and $275 in fines.
Source: https://herit.ag/3rCK35b
Daniel Tadeusz Romanowski, of Poland, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Romanowski was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00326-D, https://herit.ag/3rKEmCw, https://herit.ag/3y83Coz
Jose Cruz Solano-Rodriguez, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien. He was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Solano-Rodriguez also faced a second charge that he falsely claimed citizenship in order to register to vote, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Solano-Rodriguez was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 2:18-cr-00029-BO, https://herit.ag/3zLTNNz, https://herit.ag/2ULKPB9, https://herit.ag/3x7rxTU
Ramon Esteban Paez-Jerez, of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to two charges of passport fraud and illegal voting by an alien. Paez-Jerez was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Following Paez-Jerez's guilty plea, he was sentenced to one year's imprisonment on each charge, to be served concurrently, and three years' probation for each charge, also to be served concurrently. For each charge, he was ordered to pay a $5,500 fine and a $125 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00131-FL, https://herit.ag/3f3VwWt, https://herit.ag/3rETRvO, https://herit.ag/3710BdK
Jose Jaime Ramiro-Torres, of El Salvador, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Ramiro-Torres was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 2:18-cr-00029-BO, https://herit.ag/2Vdcef8, https://herit.ag/2V8DISZ
Dieudonne Soifils, of Haiti, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Soifils was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Soifils is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 4:18-cr-00045-FL, https://herit.ag/3idfss9, https://herit.ag/2UXZPvw
Guadalupe Espinosa-Pena, a lawful permanent resident, was assisted by his girlfriend Denslo Allen Paige, a former poll worker, in making a false claim of citizenship and illegal voting. He was found guilty of one count of illegal voting by an alien and was sentenced to one month in prison and a year of probation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3y86sdj
Maria Rufina Castillo-Boswell, of the Philippines, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien. She was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Castillo-Boswell also faced a second charge that she falsely claimed citizenship in order to register to vote, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. She is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 7:18-cr-00135-D, https://herit.ag/3y85HAJ, https://herit.ag/3zFegn5
Dora Maybe Damata-Rodriguez, of Panama, pleaded guilty to one count of voting by an alien. She was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Damata-Rodriguez also faced a second charge that she falsely claimed citizenship in order to register to vote, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. She is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 7:18-cr-00133-FL, https://herit.ag/3x2G7fn, https://herit.ag/3lg7cJR
Juan Francisco Landeros-Mireles, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Landeros-Mireles was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He is awaiting sentencing.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00325-D, https://herit.ag/3iSpQoa, https://herit.ag/2WqEITc
Hyo Suk George, of Korea, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. George was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 7:18-cr-00138-BO, https://herit.ag/3i71SGB, https://herit.ag/3iTTDwH
Alessandro Cannizzaro, of Italy, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Cannizzaro was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. Cannizzaro was ordered to pay a $200 fine and a $10 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00328-BO, https://herit.ag/3iQEfBf, https://herit.ag/3BPBPeH
Merious Jean, of Haiti, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal voting by an alien. Jean was one of nineteen non-citizens prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting in the 2016 election. He was ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $25 special assessment.
Source: Case No. 5:18-cr-00327-BO, https://herit.ag/2TCcHa3, https://herit.ag/3rCeSac
Roberto Hernandez-Cuarenta voted in both the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections despite not being a citizen. Hernandez-Cuarenta, a Mexican citizen, was granted a Special Agricultural Worker application in 1992 and had since acquired permanent resident status. He was convicted on two charges of voting by an alien, and was sentenced to time served, which amounted to four months of incarceration.
Source: https://herit.ag/3x7xVdL, https://herit.ag/3l3BY8j
Dewey Gidcumb, of Haywood County, was found guilty of voting twice in the 2016 Republican Primary. Gidcumb first cast a ballot in the early voting period, then voted a second time on Election Day. He received a five-to-15-month suspended prison sentence, one year of supervised probation, and 24 hours of community service. He was also fined $100 and ordered to pay court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/377vDkh, https://herit.ag/3f2SBgK, https://herit.ag/3BJj50u
Edward Charles Green, of Southern Pines, was convicted for voting in the 2016 election despite being a felon and therefore ineligible. Green's prior conviction came in 2014, when he was convicted of promoting the prostitution of a mentally disabled minor. For his voter fraud offense, Green was sentenced to serve a minimum of four months in jail and six months of supervised probation, which will run concurrently with a probation sentence from a prior offense.
Source: https://herit.ag/3zFvIrx
Dalton Shane Smith, of Cameron, was convicted for voting in the 2016 election despite being a felon and therefore ineligible. In 2016, Smith was convicted of felony breaking and entering. He was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment, which includes time for unrelated criminal charges.
Source: https://herit.ag/3zDnIr9
Robert Lee Youngblood, the former President of the Randolph County Tea Party, submitted a mail-in ballot in the 2014 primary, where he was running for a seat on the county board of education. He then voted again at the polls on the first day of early voting. He pleaded guilty to charges of voter fraud. Mr. Youngblood was sentenced to two days in jail to be followed by 18 months of unsupervised probation and was fined $750.
Source: https://herit.ag/3i9oeXK
Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor voter fraud charge. Cannon admitted that he cast an absentee ballot in the 2014 midterm elections, despite the fact that he had been convicted on felony corruption charges stemming from his acceptancy of $50,000 in bribes from FBI undercover agents. The conviction cost Cannon his right to vote. The plea deal in the voter fraud case saw one day tacked on to his already existing 44-month prison sentence.
Source: https://herit.ag/3iRXOZN, https://herit.ag/3i4odVg
The Cleveland County Board of Elections determined that Robert Dean Hudson illegally voted despite being a convicted felon whose voting rights had not been restored. According to the Board, Hudson cast a ballot on October 20th, during North Carolina's early voting period. His ballot was ordered removed by the Board, and Hudson was referred for possible prosecution.
Source: https://herit.ag/3iXLBTH, https://herit.ag/2WqEKui
Following a contested election because of voter irregularities for the Precinct 7 City Council seat in the town of Lumberton, the State Board of Elections ordered new election. In the initial election for the City Council seat, incumbent Leon Maynor held a one-vote lead over challenger Laura Sampson after several recounts. The second election also had problems, with Maynor successfully challenging the residency of 20 voters. Ultimately, roughly half of the 850 provisional ballots cast were thrown out for various reasons, and in the final tally Maynor retained his seat by a 20-vote margin.
Source: https://herit.ag/3i7JoWw, https://herit.ag/2ULKU7V, https://herit.ag/3x3ryYJ
For more than a year, the town of Pembroke had no mayor. Challenges stemming from voting irregularities and possible fraud continue long after a disputed November 2015 election and a March 2016 re-do. In the 2015 election, former town councilman Allen Dial won the mayoral post, but following residency challenges by runner-up Greg Cummings, the State Board of Elections ordered a new election be held. Cummings prevailed in that election, but ongoing challenges prevented him from assuming office. In August, four ballots were thrown out for being improperly cast, and Cummings is still ahead in the vote tally. Pembroke's recent electoral history is colorful to say the least, having had to re-do an election in 2014 as well.
Source: https://herit.ag/3x67EfW, https://herit.ag/3zIBGbi, https://herit.ag/3y8QGPg
Roger Herres was indicted on one count of voter registration fraud and one count of voter fraud. Herres cast ballots in two states in the 2012 general election. According to court records, Herres pleaded guilty to the charges.
Source: https://herit.ag/3zLTG4B
Bruce Edward Johnson was charged by the state in Moore County with one felony count of voter registration fraud after registering to vote during the 2012 General Election despite being ineligible since he was a felon who was supposed to be serving a life sentence for a second degree murder charge. For reasons unknown, he was never taken back into custody after he was out on bond during his appeal in 1984, where his charge was upheld. He was arrested again in 2014 for a weapons charge. He pleaded guilty pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, a 1970 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows a defendant to plead guilty while still asserting his innocence, and was sentenced to probation to run concurrently with the prison sentence he is presently serving and ordered to pay court costs and fees totaling $405.
Source: herit.ag/3K0WL95 , herit.ag/3Kdfdvn
Pasco Parker, a 63-year-old Tennessee resident, admitted to voting in three states during the 2012 federal election. He mailed an absentee ballot to both Florida and North Carolina, and he voted in person in Tennessee. Upon pleading guilty to felony voting fraud and felony voter registration, Parker was sentenced to between six and 17 months of jail time, and was ordered to complete 48 hours of community service. The sentence was later suspended in favor of 24 months of supervised probation, and $940 in fees, fines, and court costs. This case was brought to the attention of election officials by a North Carolina volunteer voting watchdog group, The Voting Integrity Project.
Source: https://herit.ag/3f22qeG, https://herit.ag/2WsDwyE, https://herit.ag/3EApsEQ
Bronwyn Louisa Johnson was charged by the state in Moore County with one felony count of voter registration fraud after registering to vote as a convicted felon still on probation in the 2014 General Election. She pleaded guilty to one count of voter registration fraud, and on the same day she also pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of cocaine. She was sentenced to 4 to 14 months in prison which was suspended, given credit for 54 days of confinement, and placed on 12 months of unsupervised probation. She was also assessed court costs and fees totaling $1,254.50.
Source: herit.ag/3IkDuy5
Samuel Walter Sylvester IV pleaded guilty in Cumberland County to voting as a convicted felon. Sylvester was on probation in Wake County following his conviction for felony speeding to avoid arrest. In November, 2014, Sylvester illegally voted in violation of North Carolina law, which bars convicted felons from voting until their rights are restored. Sylvester was sentenced to six months' probation and ordered to complete 48 hours of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/3y9yxAU, https://herit.ag/2VdbWoy
When her husband passed away, Verna Roehm decided to honor his last request--to vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. Months after his death, Mrs. Roehm filled out and submitted an absentee ballot in her husband's name. The illegal vote was caught after the election during an audit by election officials; when confronted about the irregularity, Mrs. Roehm admitted to casting the vote. Recognizing the unusual circumstances of the case, the judge convicted Roehm of a misdemeanor rather than a felony. She received no jail time.
Source: https://herit.ag/374MQe8, https://herit.ag/3f2Szp8, https://herit.ag/3ksgPEp
At least 30 fraudulent votes were cast in the November 2013 elections, prompting the town to re-do the election. As of April 2014, an ongoing investigation into fraudulent activity has revealed votes cast by non-residents and the use of improper ID to verify residency for the election.
Source: https://herit.ag/3l2K9SA
Horatio Johnson was charged with felony election fraud for voting in the November 2008 election despite having pleaded guilty in August of that year to a felony drug charge. Prosecutors allowed Johnson to plead guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor obstruction of justice for his ineligible voting. He was given a 120 days' suspended sentence and unsupervised probation. Johnson's attorney argued that his client's case was an example of why North Carolina needed voter ID laws, since without them, "[a]nyone can vote."
Source: https://herit.ag/375VRU5, https://herit.ag/3CxHg1k, https://herit.ag/3BMx6KV
Anita and Valerie Moore, Wayne Shatley, Carlos Hood, and Ross Banner paid people $10 to induce them to register to vote and $25 to induce them to vote for incumbent Caldwell County Sheriff Gary Clark or a straight party ticket for the 2002 election. The Moore sisters pleaded guilty and testified against the others, who were subsequently convicted. A judge sentenced Shatley to the maximum applicable sentence of 33 months in prison due to the "extensive disruption of a government service" that Shatley and his accomplices caused.
Source: https://herit.ag/2XugIyY, https://herit.ag/3l5QiNI, https://herit.ag/3xcAQ4O
Joshua Workman, a Canadian citizen who was one of the youngest delegates to the 2000 Republican National Convention, was charged by the Department of Justice with casting ineligible votes during the 2000 and 2002 primary and general elections in Avery County. He made false statements claiming U.S. citizenship in order to vote. As part of a plea agreement, Workman pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of providing false information to election officials and subsequently returned to Canada.
Source: https://herit.ag/2UTbYSA, bit.ly/2fmg7FW
Project Westvote was a massive investigation by the FBI into endemic vote-buying operations in western North Carolina. The operation netted 41 convictions in counties throughout the western part of the state.
Source: https://herit.ag/376jFqW, https://herit.ag/3nRwHlF
