Election Fraud Cases

Kathy Funk

Kathy Funk, a Democrat Flint Township clerk and Flint County election supervisor, was charged by the state with one count of ballot tampering and one count of misconduct in office, both felonies, in the August 2020 primary in which she was on the ballot and won her election by 79 votes. Funk claimed someone broke into a room at the Flint Township Hall.  However, her lawyer stipulated that she broke the seal on a secure ballot canister, which invalidated the ballots so they could not be counted, and no one else was charged with breaking and entering the Hall.  Funk pleaded no contest to one count of misconduct in office in exchange for not receiving prison time and having the ballot tampering charge dismissed.  She is awaiting sentencing. Her employment with the county was terminated in December 2022.

Source: herit.ag/3IkAgdY , herit.ag/3K6eb4i

Nancy Juanita Williams

Nancy Williams was charged by the state in Wayne County with 3 felony counts of forging a signature on an absentee ballot, 2 felony counts of election law forgery, 5 misdemeanor counts of false statements on applications for absentee ballots, and 7 misdemeanor counts of receiving a payment to influence vote after participating in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme involving elderly voters at a nursing care facility. She submitted voter registration and absentee ballot applications for 26 legally incapacitated residents under her care without their consent. Williams had the absentee ballots mailed directly to her. She pleaded guilty to 7 counts of receiving a payment to influence vote in exchange for dismissal of the other charges, was sentenced to one year of probation, fined $3,500, and assessed $1,096 in fees.  Similar charges against Williams in Oakland County are still pending.

Source: herit.ag/3EHTtE1 , herit.ag/3rdlfVE

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

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

Brandon Hall

Brandon Hall was convicted of ten counts of ballot petition fraud stemming from the 2012 election. Chris Houghtaling, who sought to become a candidate for the Ottawa County District Court, hired Hall to acquire the necessary signatures for his candidacy; Houghtaling reportedly did not care whether the signatures were collected legally or illegally, and even assisted in Hall's crime by providing him old 2010 petitions to copy. Hall, realizing he did not collect enough signatures, used a phone book to complete the rest. Hall's friend, Zachary Savage, assisted with the fraud, but prosecutors granted him immunity in exchange for his testimony. Hall appealed his conviction, which was affirmed. He is awaiting sentencing.

Source: https://herit.ag/3pDfP36, ,

Adam Kane Easlick

Adam Easlick, a resident in Ypsilanti, voted illegally in the 2012 presidential election in Tuscola County after registering at a post office. He was registered at multiple addresses outside of Ypsilanti. Easlick pleaded guilty to the charges and received six months' probation. Interestingly, following the voter fraud charges, in May 2013, after multiple warnings from the secretary of state, Easlick placed an ad on Craigslist seeking an address in Ingham County to obtain a fraudulent driver's license. Between March 2012 and February 2013, Easlick changed his registration among street addresses, post offices or mail-forwarding businesses in Clare, Hillsdale, Tuscola, and Kent counties.

Source: https://herit.ag/3f1ZtuQ

Salim Ahmed

Salim Ahmed pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawful possession of an absentee ballot. Ahmed was initially charged with 20 counts of improper return of absentee ballots. He and two other men delivered absentee ballots to the city clerk's office from people not related to them or members of their household. Ahmed was fined and ordered to pay court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3zKbCMH, https://herit.ag/3y9dsGN

Armani Asad

Armani Asad, an unsuccessful candidate for Hamtramck City Council, pleaded guilty to one count of improper possession of an absentee ballot. Asad initially faced 14 charges related to improper return of absentee ballots. He and two other men illegally delivered absentee ballots to the city clerk's office from people not related to them or members of their household. Asad was fined and ordered to pay court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3BOnZt2, https://herit.ag/3iWOlQS

Russell Mohammed

Russell Mohammed pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawful possession of an absentee ballot. Mohammed was initially charged with six counts of improper return of absentee ballots. He and two other men were charged with delivering absentee ballots to the city clerk's office from people not related to them or members of their household. Mohammed was fined and ordered to pay court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l3JCQm, https://herit.ag/2VfyAwg

Edward Pinkney

As if once wasn't enough, in 2014 Reverand Edward Pinkney was convicted again. This time for false certification of petitions in a mayoral recall election. As a habitual offender, based on his three prior convictions, Pinkney was sentenced to serve between two-and-a-half and ten years in prison.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rDeIzh, https://herit.ag/3yc3aWc

Mohammed Abdur Rahman

Mohammed Abdur Rahman, of Hamtramck, pleaded guilty to one count of improper possession of an absentee ballot. He initially faced five counts of improper possession of ballots during the 2013 primary election. He was sentenced to probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3i30OmZ

Dilsa Maria Saddler

Dilsa Maria Saddler, of Berrien Springs, was convicted of conspiracy to commit election fraud. She registered to vote and voted in the 2008 general election, even though she was ineligible because she is not a U.S. citizen. She was sentenced to 10 days in jail, 100 hours of community service, and $750 in fines and court costs.

Source: https://herit.ag/3vTcEW7

Lorianne O'Brady, Don Yowchuang, and Paul Seewald

Former staff members for U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter created fake nominating petitions for his short-lived 2012 presidential campaign. Lorianne O'Brady pleaded no contest to falsely signing a nominating petition, and was sentenced to 20 days in either prison or a work program, as well as paying $2,625. Don Yowchuang pleaded no contest to 10 counts of forgery and six counts of falsely signing a nominating petition as a circulator, and received three years' probation and 200 hours of community service. Paul Seewald pleaded guilty to nine counts of falsely signing a nominating petition, and received 100 hours of community service and three years' probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/2Ww4fdP

Jason Bauer and Mike McGuinness

Former Oakland County Democratic Party officials, Jason Bauer and Mike McGuinness, were charged with election fraud for trying to put a fake Tea Party candidate on the ballot in order to dilute the Republican vote. Bauer pleaded no contest and was sentenced to one year probation and $2,600 in fines. McGuinness pleaded no contest to perjury and forgery, and received one year probation, 180 hours of community service, and $1,965 in fines.

Source: https://herit.ag/2WqExHw, https://herit.ag/371lUvV, https://herit.ag/3eYmKh1