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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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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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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Robert Nickerson was charged by the state in Newport County with two felony counts of mail-ballot fraud for voting twice in the 2020 General Election after receiving a tip from a Florida election official. Nickerson voted by absentee ballot in Rhode Island, where he registered to vote in 1996, and again by absentee ballot in Florida, where he registered to vote in 2020. He pleaded no contest to the charges in exchange for no jail time. He was ordered to pay a $500 fine and was assessed $1,103.25 in fees and court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/41BIuFQ, https://herit.ag/41D4HUe
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Richard Garrett, a former Clarksville City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem, pled guilty to a state felony charge of voter registration fraud for providing a false address as his primary residence, when, in fact, he lived and voted outside the district that he represented. He was sentenced to probation for two years and assessed $1,719 in fines and fees.
Source: https://herit.ag/3CwYjn5
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Marlena Jackson, wife of Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor election fraud. During the 2018 Democratic primary Longview City council election, Jackson's husband Shannon Brown organized a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from two paid campaign workers and Jackson to increase the ballots in Brown's favor. Jackson working with Brown and his crew, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, misleading voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filling out the applications and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Marlena was originally charged with close to 100 different felony charges including providing false information on a voting application, election fraud, and tampering with a government record with the intent to defraud or harm. Jackson was sentenced to a year's probation and a $2,445 fine.
Source: https://herit.ag/33qzzOJ, https://herit.ag/3oSoH3O , https://herit.ag/3rRxrc7, https://herit.ag/3GVHG3E
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Monica Mendez was charged with 26 felonies after her involvement in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme to alter the results of the May 2018 Bloomington water board election. Mendez served as a volunteer deputy registrar and was responsible for registering new voters in her official role. During this election, 275 people in Bloomington registered to vote all using the same post office box as a mailing address. However, the address was associated with a subsidized housing company who was attempting the sway the outcome of the election. According to the press release by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton "Mendez ran a vote-harvesting operation on behalf of a subsidized housing corporation in order to influence the outcome of a utility board election." Mendez Mendez pleaded guilty to 26 felony counts including three counts of illegal voting, eight counts of election fraud, seven counts of unlawful assistance to a voter to submit a ballot by mail, and eight counts of unlawful possession of a mail ballot. She was sentenced to five years of deferred adjudication probation, 80 hours of community service, and fined $1,415.
Source: https://herit.ag/3OMoYQ8 , https://herit.ag/3bxUROc, https://herit.ag/3OHfLsv
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Charlie Burns Jr., campaign worker for Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of knowingly possessing an absentee ballot with intent to defraud for his involvement in a ballot harvesting scheme. During the 2018 Democratic primary Longview City council election, Shannon Brown participated in a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from his wife Marlena Jackson, Burns, and DeWayne Ward, another paid campaign worker, to increase the vote total for Brown. Burns working with Brown, Jackson, and another campaign worker, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, providing incorrect information to voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filing out the ballots and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Burns was sentenced to one year in jail, which was suspended to a year's probation, and fined $445.
Source: https://herit.ag/3gSxiyS , https://herit.ag/3oSxz9F, https://herit.ag/3rUront, https://herit.ag/3GNZihK
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Francisco Tamez Jr., a convicted felon who was ineligible to vote, was charged by the state with illegally voting in the 2017 City of Edinburg municipal election, a felony offense. Tamez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment, with credit given for 226 days already spent in jail.
Source: https://herit.ag/3TXhaxm, https://herit.ag/3ACajSY, https://herit.ag/3TUh7SJ
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DeWayne Ward, campaign worker for Gregg County Commissioner Shannon Brown, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of knowingly possessing an absentee ballot with intent to defraud for his involvement in a ballot harvesting scheme during the 2018 Longview City Council Democratic primary election. During that election, Shannon Brown organized a scheme to harvest absentee ballots with help from his wife, Marlena Jackson, Ward, and Charlie Burns Jr. another paid campaign worker, to increase the vote tally in Brown's favor. Ward, working with Brown, Jackson, and another campaign worker, solicited over a hundred mail-in ballots by assisting with absentee ballot applications, misleading voters about the requirements for voting by mail, and in some cases filling out the applications and falsely claiming that such voters were disabled, often without their knowledge or consent. Ward was sentenced to one year in jail, which was suspended to a year's probation, and fined $445.
Source: https://herit.ag/3HXp7gz, https://herit.ag/3LBeQZV , https://herit.ag/3sMrGf3, https://herit.ag/3uSSbSK
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Christine Daikawa was charged with absentee ballot fraud (a misdemeanor) and attempting to impersonate an elector (a felony) after submitting her dead partner's ballot during the 2020 general election. Daikawa pleaded no contest, and was adjudicated guilty, to both charges and was sentenced to 30 days for the misdemeanor charge and 60 days for the felony which will be served consecutively and ordered to pay $961 in court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3RCOetk, https://herit.ag/3Cy05EF
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Sam Wells was charged by the state with one felony count of election fraud registration after registering a P.O. Box in Fond du Lac County as his residential address, despite not living in that county during the 2020 General Election. He pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of falsifying voter registration after the district attorney reduced the charge. Wells was assessed fines and court costs of $831.
Source: https://herit.ag/3X3tq1y , https://herit.ag/3XcJqhC
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Jamie Wells was charged by the state with one felony count of election fraud registration after registering a P.O. Box in Fond du Lac County as her residential address, despite not living in that county during the 2020 General Election. She pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of falsifying voter registration after the district attorney reduced the charge. Wells was assessed a fine of $300 plus court costs.
Source: https://herit.ag/3GPD5SH, https://herit.ag/3XnvcdN
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Mary Gebert, clerk for the town of Bergen in Marathon County, Wisconsin, was charged with one felony count of misconduct in public office, one felony count of election official destroying poll list, and one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer during the 2020 General Election. Following the election, poll workers were unable to find one of the voter numbers, which they needed to match for accuracy. Gebert signed a random person's name without their knowledge to allegedly resolve the discrepancy. However, the person had moved out of Bergen and had voted in his or her new jurisdiction. Gebert pleaded guilty to one felony count of election official destroying poll list in exchange for dismissal of the other charges and was sentenced to two years of probation, fined $1,000, assessed $788 in court costs, and ordered not to participate in the administration or polling of any election.
Source: https://herit.ag/3tcPPPX, https://herit.ag/46qeQFS
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Michael Ray Overall was charged by the state in St. Croix County with illegal voting, election registration fraud, registering to vote in more than one place, and voting more than once, all felonies, after voting twice in the 2020 General Election. He voted once in person in Beloit, a town in Rock County, and again by absentee ballot in St. Croix County. He was found guilty by a jury of all the charges and ordered to pay a penalty of $4,711.90 plus post-judgment interest and engage in 80 hours of community service.
Source: https://herit.ag/3EYuqfY, https://herit.ag/3RIR6IF
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.”
