Election Fraud Cases
Details
Gloria Lopez Torres, a San Luis City Councilwoman, was charged by the state with felony counts of conspiracy and ballot abuse after trafficking absentee ballots during the August 2020 primary election as part of a larger ballot harvesting scheme. Torres picked up 7 ballots from Nadia Lizarraga-Mayorquin (who was also charged and convicted) and put them into a drop box in 2020. Arizona law only permits family members and close relatives to do this. Torres pleaded guilty to one count of ballot abuse and was sentenced to 24 months of probation and fined $2,500. She may not run or be appointed to public office again, but she was allowed to finish her current term ending in December 2024.
Source: herit.ag/4aFU4Vw , herit.ag/4aK3Mq0 , herit.ag/3NOw8p0 , herit.ag/3tEqRcL
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Nadia Guadalupe Lizarraga-Mayorquin "Buchanan"
Nadia Lizarraga-Mayorquin (aka Nadia Buchanan) of San Luis was charged by the state with felony counts of conspiracy and ballot abuse after trafficking absentee ballots during the August 2020 Primary election as part of a larger ballot harvesting scheme. Arizona law only permits family members and close relatives to do this. Lizarraga-Mayorquin trafficked at least 7 ballots to Gloria Lopez and at least one ballot herself from a third party. She pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of ballot abuse and was sentenced to 24 months of probation and fined $2,500.
Source: herit.ag/47nHwiw , herit.ag/3vtrbeS , herit.ag/47nHEP2 , herit.ag/3S5dfke
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Bridgeport Municipal Mayoral Democratic Primary 2023 Election
The results of the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut Democratic mayoral primary election, which was held on September 12, 2023, were overturned due to absentee ballot fraud in an election where only 251 votes separated the winner (Joseph Ganim) and the loser (John Gomes). Superior Court Judge William Clark ordered that a new primary election between Ganim (the party-endorsed candidate) and Gomes (the challenger) should be held because an unusually large number of absentee ballots that were counted had been illegally placed in drop boxes by two unauthorized ballot distributors who were Ganim supporters: Wanda Geter-Pataky (a Democratic Town Committee member and the Leader of Voting District 136) and Eneida Martinez (a candidate for City Council). The court determined that videos of Geter-Pataky and Martinez illegally dropping off stacks of votes into various drop boxes “provided evidence of ballot harvesting, in violation of state law.” Geter-Pataky made 10 drops either directly or indirectly, and Martinez made 5 separate drops of multiple ballots. The court also found “the volume of ballots mishandled is such it calls the result of the primary election in serious doubt and unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary.”
Source: herit.ag/3TBYUNy
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John Rider of the Village of Virginia Trace was charged by the state with casting more than one ballot in an election, a felony, for voting twice in the 2020 General Election in Sumter County. He voted once in person in Florida during early voting and again by absentee ballot in New York. He was sentenced to a pre-trial diversion program where he was ordered to complete 50 hours of community service. Rider was allowed by the court to pay out his community service at the rate of $10 per hour or $500 in total. He was also assessed court fines and costs totaling $400.
Source: herit.ag/3HYG6QS , herit.ag/3IkEoKZ , herit.ag/3K8lxnQ
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Robert Rivernider Jr., a Republican Party activist and Donald Trump supporter, was charged by the state in Sumter County with 3 felony counts forgery of public records, fraud in connection with casting a vote, and passing a counterfeit instrument after submitting an absentee ballot that was not his own during the 2020 General Election. Rivernider forged his deceased father's signature on an absentee ballot and mailed it in. The Sumter County Election Supervisor noticed a discrepancy in the signature and found it was similar to Rivernider's own signature. He was convicted by a jury and is awaiting sentencing.
Source: herit.ag/3RO7qaJ , herit.ag/3tjyntD
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Christopher Coyle, the former Clark County Clerk Democratic candidate and former chairman of the Clark County Democratic Party, was charged by the state with 3 felony counts of filing a fraudulent report, voting outside precinct, and address change violation, after falsely claiming his residency in Clark County and voting during the 2022 election. He filed a false report with the Clark County Clerk's Office claiming he lived in Memphis despite having sold his home and not updated his driver's license or voter registration to reflect the fact that he was now living in Louisville, Kentucky. He then voted in person in Sellersburg on Election Day. He admitted the conduct and entered into a diversion agreement. The charges were dropped upon completion of the program.
Source: herit.ag/3NC4D1W , herit.ag/3RQ1Ch2 , herit.ag/3RRNCDi
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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
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Jason Schofield, a Republican Elections Commissioner for Rensselaer County Board of Elections in Troy, New York, was federally charged with 12 felony counts of unlawful possession and use of a means of identification of another person to fraudulently request, complete, and submit absentee ballots on behalf of voters during the 2021 Rensselaer County Primary and General elections. Schofield, and other Rensselaer election board employees working under his direction, used the New York State Board of Elections website to request absentee ballots on behalf of 8 voters using their names and dates of birth. These individuals had either no interest in voting absentee or otherwise, did not request absentee ballots or assistance to vote or obtain an absentee ballot, or did not know Schofield was using their personal information. Schofield personally obtained 4 absentee ballots knowing that the county board of elections records would falsely reflect the ballots were mailed to the voters via USPS. For the other 4 voters, Schofield completed the ballots and brought the ballots to the voters, instructed them to sign the ballot envelopes, which were submitted in the elections. Schofield pleaded guilty to all 12 felony charges He has resigned from his position as Commissioner of the Rensselaer County Board of Elections as part of his plea agreement and is ordered to pay an assessment of $1,200 at the time of sentencing. He faces a maximum of 5 years in prison and fines of $250,000 and cannot accept reappointment to the Board of Elections as long as he is on probation or supervised release.
Source: herit.ag/3RZwHxk , herit.ag/3HV4i6Y , herit.ag/3HUe74Z , herit.ag/3RSEZa9
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Ashley Gelman was charged by the state with one felony count of illegal voting and one felony count of election falsification after voting twice in the 2022 General Election. She voted early in person in Florida and again by absentee ballot in Ohio. Gelman was a former resident of Geauga County, but had moved to Broward County Florida in 2020. She pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of attempted election falsification. Gelman was sentenced to 4 days of residential community control at the Geauga County Safety Center, 1 year of probation, and fined $1,000.
Source: https://herit.ag/3PBpq5M, https://herit.ag/48tw4Up, https://herit.ag/3EVNGuu
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James Saunders was charged by the state in Cuyahoga County with two felony counts of illegal voting after voting twice in the General Elections in 2020 (for Pres. Trump) and 2022. In 2020, he voted early in-person in Ohio and again in-person on Election Day in Florida. In 2022, he cast an absentee ballot in Florida and voted in person in Ohio. The investigation revealed he had also voted twice in the 2014 and 2016 elections, but could not be prosecuted for these offenses because the statute of limitations had run. He was found guilty following a bench trial and sentenced to three years in jail and fined $10,000.
Source: herit.ag/44RnZWK , herit.ag/45R6x5U, https://herit.ag/3RD6fv3
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Edward Malnar was charged by the state in Fond du Lac County with one felony count of voting more than once and one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer after voting twice during the 2020 General Election. He voted by absentee ballot in Michigan and again in person in Wisconsin. He pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 15 days in jail (subject to work release during the day, referred to in Wisconsin as Huber release) and ordered to pay $5,221 in fines and court costs.
Source: herit.ag/3LpeRBx , herit.ag/3r5LPAd
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Judy Taylor was charged by the state in Mingo County with one misdemeanor count of false swearing on an absentee ballot application after applying for an absentee ballot on behalf of a non-resident during the 2020 General Election. She completed an application for an absentee ballot for an ineligible non-resident, despite state law only permitting voters to apply for an absentee ballot. Taylor pleaded no contest to one count of false swearing and entered a pre-trial diversion program for one year.
Source: https://herit.ag/3KecxwP , https://herit.ag/47bCUx2
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Richard Fox was charged by the state with one count of illegal voting after voting twice in the 2020 General Election. Fox voted by absentee ballot in Florida and then again by absentee ballot in West Virginia. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of illegal voting and was sentenced to one year in jail, which was suspended for one year of probation, and fined $1,000.
Source: https://herit.ag/3rOCSLy , https://herit.ag/3KecxNl , https://herit.ag/47c9cbA
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Jack Vaughan was charged by the state in Kanawha County with one misdemeanor count of illegal voting after voting twice in the 2020 General Election. He voted once by absentee ballot in West Virginia and again by absentee ballot in Florida. He pleaded guilty and was fined $100 plus court costs.
Source: herit.ag/48bON6J, herit.ag/3ZmNdei
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Tracey Kay McKee, of Scottsdale, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of illegal voting and one count of perjury. McKee, a registered Republican, cast a ballot in the name of her deceased mother in the 2020 general election. She pleaded guilty to one count of illegal voting, a felony, was sentenced to two years of probation, and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $2,144 in fines and fees.
Source: https://herit.ag/3HUHrXH, https://herit.ag/3GVHMZ4 , https://herit.ag/3sb2oYw
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.”
