Election Fraud Cases

Krista Michelle Connor

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

Guillermina Fuentes and Alma Yadira Juarez

Guillermina Fuentes was charged with one count of ballot abuse for ballot trafficking during the 2020 primary election. Fuentes was the former mayor of San Luis, is a well-known political figure in her community, and works as a political consultant. Using that influence, Fuentes persuaded voters to allow her to collect their ballots and, in some instances, fill out ballots on behalf of the voters. Fuentes admitted that she "knowingly collect[ed] ballots from another person, and those early ballots belonged to individuals for whom I am not a family member, household member, or caregiver." She pleaded guilty to one count of ballot abuse. She will be sentenced at the end of June.

Source: https://herit.ag/3blsnHe, https://herit.ag/3Ot2nIP, https://herit.ag/3OJy1RV

Alma Yadira Juarez and Guillermina Fuentes

Alma Yadira Juarez was charged with one count of ballot abuse for ballot trafficking during the 2020 primary election. Juarez was alleged to have collected ballots filled out by Guillermina Fuentes and did not have permission to hold the ballots. She pleaded guilty to one count of ballot abuse. She will be sentenced at the end of June.

Source: https://herit.ag/3bltTZU , https://herit.ag/3OMdjRC

Tracey Kay McKee

Tracey Kay McKee, of Scottsdale, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of illegal voting and one count of perjury. McKee, a registered Republican, cast a ballot in the name of her deceased mother in the 2020 general election. She pleaded guilty to one count of illegal voting, a felony, was sentenced to two years of probation, and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $2,144 in fines and fees.

Source: https://herit.ag/3HUHrXH, https://herit.ag/3GVHMZ4 , https://herit.ag/3sb2oYw

Elizabeth Gale

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

Barry Morphew

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

John Mallozzi

John Mallozzi, former Chair of the Stamford Democratic City Committee, was convicted following a bench trial of 14 counts of second-degree forgery and 14 counts of making false statements in absentee balloting. Mallozzi signed and submitted absentee ballots for individuals he did not know in connection with 2015 elections for spots on the Board of Finance, Board of Education, and Board of Representatives. The conduct involved 31 fraudulent applications and 26 fraudulent ballots.  He is awaiting sentencing. 

Source: https://herit.ag/3rwegE4v

William Chase

William Chase, of Walker County, a convicted felon, was charged with forgery, illegal acts regarding election documents, unlawful acts regarding elector's vote, and duplicate voting after filling out another person's absentee ballot in the January 2021 runoff election. The ballot was mistakenly sent to a P.O. Box at the former address of the registered voter. The voter inquired with the Walker County Elections Office when she did not receive her ballot, but her husband received his ballot. Election officials discovered Chase had submitted the woman’s ballot by forging her signature; Chase’s fingerprints were on the fraudulent ballot. Chase had also already submitted his own ballot in addition to the fraudulent absentee ballot. Chase was convicted by a jury on all counts and sentenced to 25 years, with 15 years to be served in prison and the remaining 10 years to be served on probation. He was also ordered to pay a $50 public defender application fee and "pay a probation supervision fee of $32 per month to the Probation Office and shall pay all fines, costs, restitution, and surcharges at the rate of $132 per month beginning within thirty days of release from custody."

Source: https://herit.ag/3XfVtuo , https://herit.ag/3XoSXCh

James Bartlett, Troy Kemper

James Bartlett was charged by the state in Dearborn County with one felony count each of perjury and fraudulent subscription of another person's name after his involvement in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme during the Lawrenceburg 2019 General Election. Bartlett, a former City of Lawrenceburg employee, worked with co-conspirator Troy Kemper to fill out fraudulent absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots. The fraud was detected by the Election Board because the signatures on the original voter registration forms did not match the signatures on the absentee ballot applications and the absentee ballots, and after contacting 20 voters, learned they did not apply for an absentee ballot or permit Kemper to turn in their ballot. Bartlett pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy of fraudulent subscription and was sentenced to 910 days in prison, which was suspended if he completes one year of probation without violation. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and fined and assessed court costs of $1,285. Upon completion of his probation, his felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor. 

Source: herit.ag/3HVQ99l , herit.ag/3HTrl1X , herit.ag/3RXuAdp

Troy Kemper, James Barlett

Troy Kemper was charged by the state in Dearborn County with one felony count each of perjury and fraudulent subscription of another person's name after his involvement in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme during the Lawrenceburg 2019 General Election. Kemper was charged for his role in submitting fraudulent absentee ballot applications and ballots along with his co-conspirator James Bartlett. The fraud was detected by the Election Board because the signatures on the original voter registration forms did not match the signatures on the absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots, and after contacting 20 voters, learned they did not apply for an absentee ballot or permit Kemper to turn in their ballot. In exchange for agreeing to testify truthfully against James Bartlett and the state dismissing the fraudulent subscription charge, Kemper pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of perjury and was sentenced to 365 days with 363 days suspended, and he was assessed court costs and filing fees of $210.

Source: herit.ag/3XoQ4Rj , herit.ag/3HPWEdK , herit.ag/3HZrrov

Trenae Ryesha Rainey

Trenae Myesha Rainey, 28, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of making a false statement on an absentee ballot application. During the 2020 general election, Rainey, an employee at an assisted living facility, completed roughly two dozen absentee voter applications, forging individual signatures of residents. She then handed over the ballots to another employee, whom she instructed to send the absentee ballot requests to the county election clerk. Rainey was sentenced to two years' probation, in which the first 45 days would be spent in the county jail.

Source: https://herit.ag/3K0oJzc, https://herit.ag/3DptHCW

Carless Clark

Carless Clark, 59, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of forging a signature on another individual's absentee ballot. In the 2020 general election, Clark signed and returned her grandson's absentee ballot, citing her concern that he would not have enough time to vote in-person on Election Day, which the grandson did. Clark was sentenced to twelve months' probation and nineteen days of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3uFWbEt, https://herit.ag/3iRCVi4

Muse Mohamed

Muse Mohamed was charged with lying to a federal grand jury about his absentee ballot harvesting during the 2020 primary election in Minneapolis. Mohamed knowingly gave false information to a grand jury about his involvement in collecting and filling out absentee ballots on behalf of three individuals. While he claimed to have simply dropped off already filled-out ballots for those three people, the individuals did not know Mohamed and did not ask him to deliver their absentee ballots (one person had voted in-person on election day).  He was convicted following a jury trial of two counts of making false statements to a grand jury. He is awaiting sentencing. 

Source: https://herit.ag/3AtYuyP, https://herit.ag/3pqywpm, https://herit.ag/3bWQoFr

Bradley Haugen

Bradley Haugen was charged by the state with one felony count of intentionally making a false or untrue statement on an absentee ballot application. He requested an absentee ballot during the 2020 primary election indicating that he was eligible to vote despite being a convicted felon. Haugen pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $214 in fines and fees.  If Haugen successfully completes probation, the conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rsmFbw, https://herit.ag/3SZ61vB, https://herit.ag/3SYX2Ld

Abdihakim Amin Essa

Abdihakim A. Essa, of Minneapolis, was accused of intentionally making or signing false certificates when submitting absentee ballots in Hennepin County. Essa, a non-citizen, forged his father's signature as a witness on the ballots. He pleaded guilty to four of the thirteen counts, all state felony offenses. He was sentenced to 180 days in an adult correctional facility; all but 90 days of this sentence was stayed pending successful completion of 2 years of supervised probation. He was also assessed $78 in court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3U025ev, https://herit.ag/3TYJwXY