Election Fraud Cases

Dale Franklin and Brian Gardner

Dale Franklin and Brian Gardiner, voter registration recruiters for ACORN prior to the 2006 election, pleaded guilty to election fraud, after forging the signature of an applicant and submitting it to the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners. Both men were sentenced to probation.

Source: bit.ly/2fIJBAz

Kwaim Stenson

Kwaim Stenson, a registration recruiter employed by ACORN, pleaded guilty to a count of submitting a false voter registration application to the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners. Stenson was sentenced to four months and five days' imprisonment.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x8iCRS,

Charles Worrell and Jerolynn Worrell

Following a jury trial, Charles and Jerolynn Worrell were found guilty of illegal voting for falsely registering and voting. The pair indicated that they lived at a Summit County address where they did not reside. They received a sentence of six months' incarceration, suspended upon completion of one year of community control and other sanctions.

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

Debra Briseno

A former Port Lavaca city councilwoman was sentenced to five years in prison for registering non-citizens to vote and tampering with government documents. During the trial, she acknowledged that she did not ask registrants about their citizenship, nor did she inform them that only United States citizens are eligible to vote. Illegal voting is a third-degree felony.

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

Tina Johnson and Jayson Woods

Tina Johnson and Jayson Woods pleaded guilty to eight counts each of registration fraud. Each were sentenced to 120 days of jail, or 15 days for each count.

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

Clifton Eugene Mitchell

ACORN workers in Seattle committed what the Secretary of State labeled as the worst case of voter registration fraud in Washington's history. When ACORN's national office threatened to shut down the group's local office, Clifton Mitchell and his team began using fake names, addresses, birthdays, and social security numbers in order to meet their voter registration quotas. In a candid interview with CNN following his conviction, Clifton relayed how he and his fellow ACORN co-workers would take addresses from homeless shelters or use baby books and phone books to generate fake information. In total, the group submitted 1,762 fraudulent voter registration forms. Mitchell was convicted of false registrations and served nearly three months in jail. Four other ACORN workers on his team also received jail time. Additionally, prosecutors ordered ACORN to increase its oversight under threat of prosecution and fined the organization $25,000 to cover the cost of the investigation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x7VRxA, https://herit.ag/3zDNP12, https://herit.ag/3y3BCSZ

Ryan Olson

Ryan Olson pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to two felony counts of providing false information on a voter-registration application. Court Commissioner Kenneth Comstock sentenced him to 30 days in jail or in electronic home detention.

Source: https://herit.ag/373q8TD

Jason Holly, Jessica Sundell, and Donahue Farrow

Jason Holly and Jessica Sundell pleaded guilty in 2006 to a felony charge of fraudulent completion of an affidavit of registration, and were sentenced to three years' probation. It was discovered that more than 100 people who thought they were signing petitions to cure breast cancer and punish child molesters were actually registering as Republicans in an elaborate vote-flipping scheme. Donahue Farrow pleaded guilty in 2008 for his involvement in this scheme. He was sentenced to 46 days in jail and three years' probation. Five others have also pleaded guilty over their involvement in this scheme.

Source: https://herit.ag/372H4cT, https://herit.ag/3iWVHE4

Roger Treskunoff

A former Hayward County school board candidate pleaded guilty to registering fictitious voters and falsifying ballot initiatives, both felonies. Treskunoff was initially charged with over 40 felonies. He was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by five years' probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3zFebQj, https://herit.ag/3yc368U,

Tamika Lay

Tamika Lay pleaded guilty to voting in a precinct in which she did not live for the 2003 East Chicago Democratic primary. Though she initially called the errant vote a mistake, Lay eventually admitted that she wanted to cast a vote for her brother, Terrance Lay, who was a city council candidate for a different precinct. Lay was sentenced to one year of probation. At her sentencing hearing, she expressed frustration to the judge at being held accountable for her fraudulent act. She said, "People have been doing [fraudulently voting] for years, and all of a sudden they want to do something about it." Fraud in this 2003 primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election for the mayoral primary that resulted in a different winner.

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

Demetreos Hasapis

Demetreos Hasapis, an East Chicago Fire Department captain, was convicted of voting outside the precinct in which he lived for the 2003 East Chicago Democratic primary. He was sentenced to a 60-day jail sentence in the Lake County jail and 60 days' probation. Fraud in this 2003 primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election for the mayoral race that resulted in a different winner.

Source: https://herit.ag/370beO2

Antonio and Alycia Mendiola

Antonio and Alycia Mendiola pleaded guilty to voting in a precinct where they did not live during the 2003 East Chicago Democratic mayoral primary. Both were sentenced to 18 months of 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.

Source: https://herit.ag/2TBzS4i

Larry Battle

Larry Battle was convicted of voting in a precinct in which he did not live for the 2003 East Chicago mayoral Democratic primary election. Battle had a history of "crimes of dishonesty," prompting the judge--unpersuaded by Battle's "everybody was doing it" defense--to sentence him to two years in prison. 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.

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

Michelle Robinson

Michelle Robinson pleaded guilty to 13 counts of election law violations in connection with a fraudulent voter registration scheme. Robinson worked for Operation Big Vote, an initiative aimed at boosting the participation of black voters in the 2001 St. Louis mayoral election. She submitted 13 voter registration cards made out in the names of dead former city aldermen. Robinson was simultaneously convicted on drug charges and her combined sentence was four years of probation, 180 hours of community service, and mandatory training in transcendental meditation.

Source: bit.ly/2fgTJ08

Timothy Barnes

Timothy Parnes was convicted of providing a false address when registering to vote. He was fined $500.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rH63vN