Election Fraud Cases
Details
Michael "Ozzie" Myers, Domenick Demuro, and Marie Beren
Former U.S. Congressman Michael "Ozzie" Myers was charged with over 13 felonies for his role in orchestrating a scheme to stuff ballot boxes in favor of Democrat candidates he either favored or represented as a consultant. Myers, a former Democrat congressman who was ousted from office and served time in prison on charges of bribery and corruption due to his involvement in the Abscam sting, orchestrated schemes in Philadelphia's 39th Ward, the 36th and 2nd Divisions, to commit ballot fraud. He conspired with Domenick Demuro and Marie Beren, Judges of Elections for each ward by bribing them to add additional fraudulent votes to voting machines for candidates Myers represented or supported as a political consultant. This scheme occurred during elections between 2014-2018. He pleaded guilty to charges of depriving persons of civil rights, bribery, falsification of voting records, and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election. If his plea deal is accepted by the judge he faces up to 60 years in prison and over $1 million in fines. He will be sentenced in September.
Source: https://herit.ag/3QUaOys, https://herit.ag/3OPOmEV, https://herit.ag/3OHSA18
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Francis Presto of South Park, a registered Republican, requested and cast an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased wife. He was charged with felonies for interfering with an election and unlawful use of a computer and a misdemeanor charge for forging a ballot. He was sentenced to a diversion program of 2 years and ordered to complete 250 hours of community service. His charges will be dropped upon completion of the terms of his diversion program.
Source: https://herit.ag/3ONL8BN, https://herit.ag/3P2FQT9, https://herit.ag/3OM1RoO
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Melissa Fisher was charged with a misdemeanor count of violating absentee and mail-in ballot provisions after signing and submitting an absentee ballot on behalf of her deceased mother during the 2020 general election in Quakertown. She pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and two unrelated theft charges and was sentenced to 3 to 23 months in prison and 3 years’ probation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3A4ZlUV
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Rasheen Crews was charged by the state in Philadelphia County with two felony counts of criminal solicitation to commit forgery and theft by failure to make a required disposition of funds received after engaging in a ballot petition signature scheme. Crews, a political consultant in Philadelphia, perpetrated a ballot petition fraud scheme to get his clients listed on the ballot for the May 2019 Democratic primary races. Crews and his employees, acting at his direction, forged thousands of signatures in an effort to obtain the required number of legal signatures needed for his clients to be listed on the ballot. In addition to forging signatures by hand, over 1,000 signatures were photocopied rather than hand-written. Crews pleaded guilty to the two felony counts, was sentenced to 5 years of probation, assessed fines and fees of $761.25, and barred from participating in political campaigns during his probation.
Source: https://herit.ag/49L7bUU , https://herit.ag/46pxHjM , https://herit.ag/49Q0e4P , https://herit.ag/415bsPf
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Cheryl Mihaliak was charged by the state in Lancaster County with two counts of forging and destroying ballots after filling out and submitting an absentee ballot on behalf of her deceased mother during the May 2022 primary election. Mihaliak had requested an absentee ballot for her and her mother (Teresa Mihaliak), as her caregiver, but her mother died on April 14 before she could fill out the ballot. However, the county board of elections received a ballot for the mother completed by her daughter on April 28. Mihaliak pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of forging and destroying ballots and was sentenced to 2 years of probation, assessed $1,610.75 in fines and fees, and is barred from voting for 4 years.
Source: https://herit.ag/46vmWwi , https://herit.ag/3MWw8mt , https://herit.ag/3GhgU7H
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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
Details
Registered Republican Ralph Holloway Thurman voted twice in the 2020 presidential election. After casting his vote, Thurman asked a poll worker if he could vote on behalf of his son, and when workers informed him that it was not allowed, he left the building. Later that day Thurman returned, disguised in a hat and sunglasses, and signed the poll book as his son, a registered Democrat. After casting the second ballot, pollsters recognized him, notified the judge of elections, but Thurman left before election officials could confront him. He pleaded guilty to one count of repeat voting, a felony. Thurman was sentenced to three years' probation and is barred from voting for four years as part of a negotiated plea deal.
Source: https://herit.ag/3vQ5CRV, https://herit.ag/3vQ5CRV, https://herit.ag/2XLR6y2
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Registered Republican Robert Richard Lynn was charged with a third-class misdemeanor for using his deceased mother’s credentials to cast an absentee ballot for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. He was sentenced to six months probation and 40 hours of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/3Cmw4VO, https://herit.ag/3bauXN9
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Domenick Demuro, a Judge of Elections in Philadelphia and a Democratic ward leader, accepted bribes to add fraudulent ballots to voting machines and falsely certify election results for certain Democrat candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections. According to the DOJ press release, Demuro “admitted that a local political consultant gave him directions and paid him money to add votes for candidates supported by the consultant, including candidates for judicial office whose campaigns actually hired the consultant, and other candidates for various federal, state and local elective offices preferred by that consultant for a variety of reasons.” Demuro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deprive Philadelphia voters of their civil rights and one violation of the Hatch act. He will be sentenced on July 20, 2021.
Source: Case No 2:20-cr-00112-PD , bit.ly/2QjjcNh, bit.ly/3vituMP , bit.ly/3tMuXKZ
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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
Details
Calvin Mattox, a Philadelphia election-board worker, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor "qualification of election officials" charge. Mattox, a Democrat, worked at Poll 43-7 despite not being a resident of the 43rd Ward as required by state law. He and three others were charged following allegations of fraud in a 2017 special election for the statehouse seat for the 197th District. The cabal were accused of, among other things, intimidating voters who did not want to vote for the Democrat candidate. In court, witnesses testified that they were not able to cast ballots for the candidates of their choice. Mattox was sentenced to one year of probation and stripped of his voting rights until 2022.
Source: https://herit.ag/3x2G7vT, https://herit.ag/3l2zQOc
Details
Wallace Hill, a translator at Philadelphia Poll 43-7, pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to perform duty. Hill and three other board members were indicted after allegations of fraud in Philadelphia's 43rd Ward surfaced after the 2017 special election for the statehouse seat for the 197th District. The cabal were accused of, among other things, intimidating voters who did not want to vote for the Democratic candidate. In court, witnesses testified that they were not able to cast ballots for the candidates of their choice. Hill was sentenced to 18 months of probation and was stripped of his right to vote until 2022.
Source: https://herit.ag/3710Bug, https://herit.ag/39lKMiV
Details
Thurman George, a Democrat election-board member and machine inspector at Philadelphia Poll 43-7, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of fraud by an election officer. George and three other board members were indicted after allegations of fraud in Philadelphia's 43rd Ward surfaced after the 2017 special election for the statehouse seat for the 197th District. The cabal were accused of, among other things, intimidating voters who did not want to vote for the Democratic candidate. In court, witnesses testified that they were not able to cast ballots for the candidates of their choice. George was sentenced to five years of probation and was stripped of his right to vote until 2022.
Source: https://herit.ag/3zDnIYb, https://herit.ag/3xaW6Id
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Dolores Shaw, the Judge of Election at Philadelphia Poll 43-7, and three other election-board members were indicted after allegations of fraud in Philadelphia's 43rd Ward surfaced after the 2017 special election for the statehouse seat for the 197th District. The cabal were accused of, among other things, intimidating voters who did not want to vote for the Democratic candidate. In court, witnesses testified that they were not able to cast ballots for the candidates of their choice. Shaw received an accelerated rehabilitative disposition for compromising the local election board.
Source: https://herit.ag/3f2YPxc, https://herit.ag/39opeCc, https://herit.ag/378DBcE
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Richard Cummings, an Allegheny County School Board Member, moved from Westmoreland County to Allegheny County in 2009, but continued voting at his Westmoreland address through the 2016 general election. He was charged with five counts of unlawful voting, and one count of unsworn falsification for claiming he was a resident of the county when he voted there in 2010, 2012, and 2016. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation through the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program for first time non-violent offenders. He can petition to have his record expunged upon completion of the program and probation.
Source: https://herit.ag/3kYtek0, https://herit.ag/3i71SX7
Key & Definitions
Types of Cases
Any case that results in a defendant entering a plea of guilty or no contest, or being found guilty in court of election-related offenses.
A finding by a court of law that fraud occurred in an election, including judicial orders overturning election results or ordering a new election due to fraud.
Any civil case resulting in fines or other penalties imposed for a violation of election laws.
A finding by a government body that fraud occurred in an election, including orders overturning election results or ordering a new election due to fraud.
Any criminal case in which a judge directs a defendant into a pre-trial diversion program, or stays or defers adjudication with the understanding that the conviction will be cleared upon completion of the program.
Types of Voter Fraud
Requesting absentee ballots and voting without the knowledge of the actual voter; or obtaining the absentee ballot from a voter and either filling it in directly and forging the voter’s signature or illegally telling the voter who to vote for.
Illegal registration and voting by individuals who are not U.S. citizens, are convicted felons, or are otherwise not eligible to vote.
Voting in the name of other legitimate voters and voters who have died, moved away, or lost their right to vote because they are felons, but remain registered.
Paying voters to cast either an in-person or absentee ballot for a particular candidate.
Forging the signatures of registered voters on the ballot petitions that must be filed with election officials in some states for a candidate or issue to be listed on the official ballot
Registering in multiple locations and voting in the same election in more than one jurisdiction or state.
Voting under fraudulent voter registrations that either use a phony name and a real or fake address or claim residence in a particular jurisdiction where the registered voter does not actually live and is not entitled to vote.
Changing the actual vote count either in a precinct or at the central location where votes are counted.
Forcing or intimidating voters—particularly the elderly, disabled, illiterate, and those for whom English is a second language—to vote for particular candidates while supposedly providing them with “assistance.”
