Election Fraud Cases

Caesar Peter Abutin

Caesar Abutin, of Norwalk, voted under the name of his deceased mother three times between 2012 and 2014. He was charged with one count of impersonating another voter, one count of fraudulently requesting an absentee ballot, and one count of fraudulent voting, all felony charges. He entered a diversion program with supervised probation for 12 months and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service. If he successfully completes the program, the charges against him will be dismissed.

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

Paul Parana

Paul Parana of Canton was charged with impersonating a voter after he forged his daughter's signature on an absentee ballot in 2020 General Election. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor election law violation, was sentenced to 90 days’ probation, and ordered to pay $1,100 in fines and court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3eXnao7, https://herit.ag/3rGpyF0, https://herit.ag/378DNIU

Bruce Bartman

Bruce Bartman was charged with falsely registering for an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased mother and his deceased mother-in-law in the 2020 general election. A registered Republican, he used his mother’s driver license number and the last four digits of his mother-in-law’s social security number to register them as Republicans in effort to cast fraudulent ballots for Donald Trump. Bartman cast an absentee ballot in his mother’s name, but did not obtain an absentee ballot for his mother-in-law. Bartman pleaded guilty to two felony counts of perjury and one misdemeanor count of illegal voting. He was sentenced to five years’ probation, is barred from voting in any election for 4 years, and is no longer eligible to serve on a jury.

Source: bit.ly/3yojLqr, bit.ly/3fuAtM3 , bit.ly/340i2cN

Randy Allen Jumper

Randy Allen Jumper voted twice in the 2016 general election. He voted by absentee ballot in Arizona and again by absentee ballot in Nevada. He pleaded guilty to attempted illegal voting, a class 6 felony. He was sentenced to two years probation, fined $5,000, and is barred from voting in Arizona.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rBsT89, https://herit.ag/3yajZ43

May 2020 Third Ward Paterson City Council Election

The May 2020 election for the Third Ward Paterson City Council was overturned by Superior Court Judge Ernest M. Caposela because of what he called “mail in vote procedural violations”. The Passaic County Board of Elections became aware of potential absentee ballots that were improperly cast and handled. Of all ballots cast in the election, 24.29% were rejected. Ballots were rejected because signatures did not match and sections on the ballot designating that someone other than the voter was handling the ballot were left unfilled. A substantial number of ballots were left on the floor of an apartment building, while approximately two hundred uncounted mail-in ballots were found in a postal box located in the adjacent township. Shortly after the election results were tabulated, evidence emerged about an absentee ballot trafficking scheme involving at least four individuals, including two members running for City Council. Candidate Alex Mendez, current councilman Michael Jackson, Shelim Khalique, and Abu Razyen have now been charged with various felonies related to the alleged scheme. The judge ordered a new special election which was held in November 2020. Alex Mendez won by a nine-vote margin, despite the criminal voter fraud charges that are pending against him.

Source: https://herit.ag/3iXAPN9 , https://herit.ag/3f2iVaF, https://herit.ag/3BNsOmj

William Rojas

William Rojas, of Hoboken, acted illegally by attempting to bribe voters with $50 to send in mail-in ballots to support a candidate for a seat on the Hoboken City Council during the 2015 Hoboken municipal election. Rojas was charged with and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with others to use the mail to promote a voter bribery scheme. He was sentenced to one year of probation.

Source: bit.ly/3dz9yPG , bit.ly/2QfW2Y8 , bit.ly/2PaCzI4 , bit.ly/32sVwIW

Dyon Herrera

Dyon Hererra, of Espanola, conspired with Laura Seeds to falsify absentee ballots in support of Seeds' husband's candidacy for mayor in 2016. Hererra forged the signatures of his grandparents on absentee ballots. The candidate that he casted the ballots in favor of won the race by two votes. Herrera was charged with conspiracy to violate the municipal election code of Espanola, a fourth degree felony, and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 18 months probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l1iAJf , https://herit.ag/3i9ub7o, Case no. D-117-CR-201800047

Laura Seeds

Laura Seeds, of Espanola, conspired with Dyon Herrera to falsify several absentee ballots in favor of Seeds' husband, a city councilman who was running for mayor in 2016. Seeds was charged with two counts of making false statements relative to the municipal election code, one count of conspiracy to violate the municipal election code, and ten counts of possession of another person's absentee ballot. Seeds was found guilty of two counts of making false statements relative to the municipal election code and two counts of possession of another person's absentee ballot, which are all fourth degree felonies. She was sentenced to six months of house arrest, followed by five years of supervised probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3f4YnhM, Case no. D-117-CR-201800048,

Elbert Melton

Elbert Melton, the former mayor of Gordon, illegally notarized two ballots, without witnesses present, during the 2016 election in which he was running for mayor. Melton won that race by only 16 votes. Melton was convicted on two counts of absentee ballot fraud, was removed from office, and was sentenced to serve one year in prison followed by two years of probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3y8oU5f, https://herit.ag/3xcAQBQ, https://herit.ag/3zImZEW

NC-09

Source: https://herit.ag/3f1kupv

Dio Braxton

Dio Braxton, of Hoboken, participated in a scheme to pay certain Hoboken voters $50 each if those voters applied for and cast mail-in ballots for candidate (and longtime Hoboken political player) Frank “Pupie” Raia for a seat on the Hoboken City Council and for a rent-control referendum during the 2013 Hoboken municipal election. Dio was charged with and pleaded guilty to one count of use of the mails to promote a voter bribery scheme. He is awaiting sentencing.

Source: bit.ly/3xb6Ass , bit.ly/3gmdhSp , bit.ly/3arOk43 , bit.ly/2QHLP6U

Frank Raia

Longtime Hoboken politico Frank “Pupie” Raia was convicted following a jury trial of “conspiracy to violate the federal Travel Act for causing the mails to be used in aid of voter bribery” in connection to a 2013 municipal election. Raia was at the center of a vote-by-mail bribery scheme in which he directed campaign workers to pay residents $50 for voting for his council slate (including himself) and for a rent-control referendum that he favored. Raia’s initial sentence was vacated by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and he is awaiting resentencing.  

Source: https://herit.ag/3i7aYmL , https://herit.ag/3iRgh8R

Matthew Calicchio

Matthew Calicchio bribed voters with $50 to cast mail-in ballots in a 2013 municipal election in Hoboken to support  a rent-control referendum and city council candidate (and longtime Hoboken political player) Frank “Pupie” Raia.  Calicchio did the same thing in a 2015 municipal election to support another candidate for City Council. Calicchio pleaded guilty to using the mails to promote voter bribery. He was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100.

Source: bit.ly/3gr0Nsv , bit.ly/3amKFo3 , bit.ly/3sqVPhW

Marjory Gale

Marjory Gale, of Hood River, voted twice in the 2016 election, once for herself and once for her daughter. Both votes were cast by absentee ballot. Gale pleaded guilty to a violation, and was ordered to pay a $750 fine.

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

Harry Sandoe Maxwell

Harry Maxwell, of Delaware County, was charged with absentee ballot fraud. In his confession, Maxwell said that he would pick up "girls" and get them to sign absentee ballots in the names of deceased indivduals. He pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, one count of false use of an absentee ballot, and two counts of criminal conspiracy, and was sentenced to two years' probation and ordered to pay $500 in fines.

Source: https://herit.ag/3zHOOgU, bit.ly/3hh6BCf