Voter Fraud Report

Joseph Pedraza and his wife, Constance D. Simmons-Pedraza, pleaded guilty to voting in a precinct where they did not live for the 2003 East Chicago mayoral Democratic primary election. They falsely claimed residence in East Chicago so that they could vote there, but city employment records revealed that they actually lived in the town of St. John. Both were sentenced to one year in prison, a sentence which will be suspended if they each satisfactorily complete one year on 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.