Election Fraud Cases

Norma Lopez

Norma Lopez, of Live Oak County, Texas, pleaded guilty to absentee ballot fraud after she unlawfully collected other voters' absentee ballots during the 2008 primary election. She was sentenced to a 180-day suspended jail sentence, one year of probation, and was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i5A7Or

Raul Pena, Jr.

Raul Pena Jr., Starr County Commissioner, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges that he illegally returned a marked ballot and that he mailed a ballot belonging to another vote. The charges stem from an incident in which Pena delivered 56 ballots to a local post office. Postal officials found it suspicious that Pena possessed so many ballots, yet none were signed by Pena as the law requires of those who assist voters. He was sentenced to six months of community supervision, received a 180 day suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/2WrcPdH, https://herit.ag/3i73ksr, https://herit.ag/3iS6Vty

Alicia Pena Perez

Alicia Pena Perez, a former Freer municipal judge, pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful assistance and four counts of possession of a ballot. During the 2008 primary election, Perez took possession of ballots that did not belong to her and illegally prepared them. She received one year of probation and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i7Jpd2

Andrea Campos Bierstedt

Andrea Campos Bierstedt, a former member of the Freer City Council, was given pre-trial diversion after she was charged with illegally possessing a ballot belonging to another voter and "assisting" in filling it out. She was also ordered to pay a $3,500 donation to the county.

Source: https://herit.ag/2VfJt14, https://herit.ag/3l1NaCH

Janice Waters

Janice Waters, of Marysville, was convicted of illegal registration in the wrong county, absentee ballot fraud, and illegal double voting in the 2008 general election. Waters submitted a ballot for her son, who was a convicted felon and ineligible to vote. Upon questioning, Waters told the County Sheriff's Office she did not submit her son's ballot and suspected her mail had been intercepted or misdirected. Forensic scientists analyzed Waters' signature with the signature on her son's absentee ballot and concluded she had submitted the form. Waters was sentenced to 20 days in jail; the sentence was later converted to 160 hours of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i5AxnX, https://herit.ag/3iXAJVN

Irving Anders

Irving Anders of Prairie Du Chien pleaded guilty to a charge of absentee ballot fraud. He was ordered to pay a court assessment of $883.

Source: bit.ly/2tmV0LR, bit.ly/2uPxeWM

Louis and Jane Kwiatkowski

The Wisconsin couple was convicted of voting twice, with each casting absentee ballots in elections in the town of Wyocena, where they owned a cabin, before later voting in the city of Blooming Grove. The victor in the Wyocena trustee's race--who also happened to be the Kwiatkowskis' preferred candidate--won by a two-vote margin, prompting the judge to declare that the couple's fraud swung the election. Mr. Kwiatkowski was fined $2,000 and his wife received a $1,500 fine.

Source: bit.ly/2fLkwVj

Valada Paige Banks and Rosie Lyles

Valada Paige Banks and Rosie Lyles pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of a forged affidavit of an absentee ballot with intent to defraud. They both received 12-month suspended sentences and two years of probation and were ordered to pay court fees.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l0pUom

Lillian Cummings Stevenson

In 2009, Lillian Cummings Stevenson agreed to a consent order after the State Elections Enforcement Commission found her guilty of illegally signing and submitting two absentee ballot request forms on behalf of her sons, who were living in Europe. She was given a $200 fine.

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

Jerry Kennamore

Jerry Kennamore, a 2009 New Albany mayoral candidate, pleaded guilty to forging the name of his daughter as an attesting witness on an absentee ballot during the May 2009 Democratic primary. Kennamore's plea was held in abeyance pending completion of five years of unsupervised probation and payment of a $1,000 fine plus court costs.

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

Jamel Holley

Former Roselle Borough Council President Jamel Holley was charged with absentee ballot fraud for filling out and submitting more than 20 ballots in the 2006 election. The judge permitted Holley to enter into a pretrial intervention program for one year (if successfully completed, the charges would be dismissed) and to pay a $125 fine. Holley has since been elected mayor of Roselle and appointed to the New Jersey General Assembly.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i3o4RU, https://herit.ag/2UV43UH

John Fernandez, Edwin Cruz, and Rocio Rivera

Rocio Rivera and Edwin Cruz were indicted for tampering with ballots and fraudulently submitting ballots in favor of New Jersey Senator Teresa Ruiz. They and a fellow co-conspirator obtained messenger ballots from the county clerk and submitted them to the board of elections as votes on behalf of voters who, in fact, never received or filled out their ballots. John Fernandez was convicted of conspiracy (2nd degree), election fraud (2nd degree), absentee ballot fraud (3rd degree), tampering with public records or information (3rd degree), and forgery (4th degree). Cruz pleaded guilty to third-degree tampering with public records or information, and Rivera pleaded guilty to third-degree absentee ballot fraud.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x2taC8

Samuel Gonzalez

Samuel Gonzalez was indicted for tampering with ballots and fraudulently submitting ballots in favor of New Jersey Senator Teresa Ruiz. He and his co-conspirators obtained messenger ballots from the county clerk and submitted them to the board of elections as votes on behalf of voters who, in fact, never received or filled out their ballots. Gonzalez agreed to forfeit his seat on the freeholder board and his job as an aide to a Newark city councilman, and was admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program.

Source: https://herit.ag/3BJj4JY

Teresa Monahan

Teresa Monahan, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to voter fraud in a referendum election for casting her own vote and then seeking to vote by an absentee ballot for her deceased brother. She was convicted of a fourth degree felony and entered into a diversion program that stipulates if she complies with the terms of her probation, the charge will be erased from her record. She was sentenced to between nine and 18 months on probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3710FKw

Michele Finney

Michele Finney, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to voter fraud in the 2008 election. Finney had signed her son's absentee ballot and voted herself. She was sentenced to 180 days' imprisonment, which would be suspended if she paid the $1000 fine within three months.

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