Election Fraud Cases

Compton, CA

A 2001 election in Compton turned into a multi-year legal drama as candidates for city council and mayor traded accusations of fraud. In the election, incumbent Mayor Omar Bradley lost to challenger Eric Perrodin by 281 votes, and Leslie Irving (a Perrodin ally) defeated Melanie Andrews for an open city council seat. Bradley sued, alleging fraud, including allegations that Irving illegally registered non-citizens. Superior Court Judge Judith Chirlin overturned the election, returning Bradley to power based on the fact that the city clerk had improperly placed Perrodin's name at the top of the ballot rather than select the order randomly. Chirlin also found that Irving had indeed helped non-citizens to register and vote in the election, and removed Irving from office and replaced her with Andrews. On appeal, Chirlin's ruling was partially overturned. The appellate court acknowledged that Perrodin had benefited from a "primacy effect," but this was insufficient to overturn the election. The appellate court upheld the removal of Irving from office, but held that Judge Chirlin should have ordered a new election rather than simply replace her with Andrews.

Source: https://herit.ag/3eYoNBS, https://herit.ag/370aqsu

Sybil Allen

Sybil Allen, while serving as a Democrat on the Bridgeport Town Committee, engaged in a range of absentee ballot-related fraud. Allen completed ballot applications in the name of residents, forged signatures, and on at least one occasion got a voter to forge a ballot registration form for a family member who no longer lived in the community. Allen also told one voter that a candidate was not on the ballot and watched voters fill out their ballots before taking possession of them. Allen eventually agreed to pay a civil fine of $5,000 and was barred from running for re-election for two years.

Source: https://herit.ag/3ECg1Vx

Warren Blunt

Warren Blunt, a city councilman in Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to being present while people cast their absentee ballots and subsequently taking those ballots while running for re-election in the town's Democratic primary. The State of Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission fined Blunt $2,500 and required him to resign from the town committee. He was also barred from running for elected office again for two years.

Source: https://herit.ag/3x8iulm

Ronald Caveness

As part of a "get out the vote" campaign leading up to the 2000 election, Ronald Caveness admitted to distributing absentee ballots, being present while people filled them out, and then collecting them. After an investigation by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission, he agreed to resign from the Democratic Town Committee, not seeking re-election for two years, and pay a fine of $4,000, which was eventually reduced to $1,000.

Source: https://herit.ag/2XI0bYH

Paulette Park

Paulette Park, while working for a candidate for Bridgeport's 2000 Democratic Town Committee primary election, illegally persuaded voters to list false reasons for requesting absentee ballots, assisted them in applying for absentee ballots, and took possession of the absentee ballots after watching voters fill them out. The State of Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission fined her $5,000 and banned her from working on future campaigns.

Source: https://herit.ag/3hPuh3q

Asa Steven Large

Asa Large registered and voted in Wasa and Hood River counties during three elections between 1997_99. He was charged and found guilty of double-voting, a Class C felony. He received 36 months' probation, 250 hours of community service and a $1,328 fine. He was also ordered to take a civics class and send a letter of apology to the editor of The Dalles Chronicle.

Source: https://herit.ag/2UMEi9m, https://herit.ag/3i3oasK

Paul Frankel and James Gurga

Paul Frankel and his accomplice, James Gurga, used a "bait and switch" technique. They had a fake petition that called for lowering gas taxes which they kept on the top of their clipboards at Lloyd Center Mall in Portland. After people signed it, they would tell them that they had to "verify" their signature by signing all the pages underneath. What the signers didn't know is that they had fooled them into unwittingly signing real petitions. Frankel and Gurga pleaded guilty to fraud charges and election law violations.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rCNA3o, https://herit.ag/2Wi1igA, https://herit.ag/3ymcwz3, (Case #011137476)

Gary and Leila Blake

After moving from their Evansville home, Gary and Leila Blake requested absentee ballots. The ballots were returned with Evansville offices and ballot issues, which the couple filled out and returned despite no longer living there. The couple pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge. Each must pay $350 in fines and serve six months on probation.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l1NaTd

Melvin Lightning and Aaron Evans

Melvin Lightning pleaded guilty to illegal absentee voting. Along with Evans, Lightning forged absentee ballot request forms in the name of other voters. Upon receiving the ballots, the pair took them to the named voters and obtained their signatures on the ballot envelope without telling the voters that they were signing an actual ballot. Lightning then completed and cast the ballots himself. He received a 12-month prison sentence, which was suspended in favor of 12 months' probation. His accomplice, Evans, was convicted in 1998 on seven counts of illegal absentee voting. He got a 10-year prison sentence, eight of which were suspended.

Source: https://herit.ag/3f2Yw5w

Sheriff David Sutherland, Denita Lee, Eugene Emerson, Idas "Spooky" Neal, Jr., Judge Ann Richardson, Jimmy Richardson, Mary Jo Ingram, Scotty Cole, William F. Bailey

An absentee-ballot buying operation was uncovered in Winston County, Alabama, that led to the conviction of the sheriff, circuit clerk, a district judge, and several candidates for county commission and the board of education. The conspirators set out to buy absentee ballots in the 2000 Republican primary with bribes of cash, beer, and liquor. Judge Richardson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to report campaign expenditures; the others pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from the operation. Bailey was sentenced to three years' probation, plus a $1,000 fine and 250 hours of community service. Neal got three years' probation, a $2,500 fine, and 250 hours' community service. Ingram was ordered to serve a year in prison and pay a $1,000 fine. Emerson got two years' probation. Judge Richardson resigned, and received a suspended six-month prison sentence, one year probation, and a $1,000 fine.

Source: bit.ly/2feojb2

George Cabrera, Jr.

George Cabrera, Jr., entered into a settlement with State of Connecticut Election Enforcement Commission. Cabrera admitted to observing a resident fill out an absentee ballot before taking possession of that ballot during the Democratic primary for town council. Cabrera agreed to pay a $750 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/3Ey5qe1

Carlos Reinoso

Carlos Reiniso admitted to voting in the 2000 election, when he was ineligible to do so. After an investigation by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission, he agreed to pay $250 fine.

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

Gilda Oliveros

Hialeah Gardens Mayor Gilda Oliveros was convicted of six charges that ranged from voter fraud to asking two of her former employees to murder her then-husband so she could cash in on a $45,000 life insurance policy. She was sentenced to 4.8 years in state prison, but was released on a $100,000 bond to appeal her sentence.

Source: https://herit.ag/3l3JC2O, https://herit.ag/2TEI6J9

Jon Saylor

Jon Saylor ordered absentee ballots sent to the home of a friend, and then filled them out as votes for himself. After winning the seat of the 1st Ward councilman in Fairfield, Ohio, the election results were called into question and an investigation was opened. Saylor was convicted of 29 counts of false registrations, one count of inducing illegal voting, 12 counts of absentee voter's ballot violation, 14 counts of illegal voting, one count of election falsification, and one count of interference with the conduct of an election. He was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment.

Source: bit.ly/2f8w7uc, https://herit.ag/3iWalvd

Cynthia McCloud

Cynthia McCloud pleaded guilty to two charges of inducing illegal voting and false registration (in an effort to help her friend Jon Saylor become a Fairfield city councilman), and was sentenced to five years of probation, ordered to complete 80 hours of community service, and pay a $2,500 fine.

Source: bit.ly/2xj2BxC, bit.ly/2f8w7uc