Election Fraud Cases
Details
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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Larry Divis was charged by the state in Colfax County with one felony count of election falsification. Divis was a resident of Columbus, but falsely claimed that he resided in the Village of Richland when he registered and voted in the 2020 General Election. Divis falsely voted in Richland, where he owns property but does not reside, in an effort to unseat members of the Village Board who had voted to change nuisance ordinances, which upset Divis. He was found guilty by a jury and fined $10,000.
Source: herit.ag/3EGoTe2, herit.ag/45zCb74
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Scott Kudrick was charged by the state with one felony count and three misdemeanor counts of wrongful voting and unsworn falsification. Kudrick registered and voted in Conway in the April 13, 2021, town election despite being ineligible as a non-resident (he was a resident of Norwell, Massachusetts). He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges, with an agreement that the felony charge will be dismissed upon successful completion of a diversion program. He was sentenced to 180 days’ confinement, which was suspended pending successful completion of two years’ probation. Under the terms of the diversion program, Kudrick is required to complete 100 hours of community service and remain arrest-free for one year. He was also assessed a fine of $4,960 and lost the right to vote in New Hampshire.
Source: herit.ag/3WVSJp7 , herit.ag/3yMYviB
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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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Jacob Wohl, and his partner, John "Jack" Burkman, (both Republican operatives) were involved in a robocall phone scheme in which thousands of calls were made in the name of a non-existent group called Project 1599 to voters in Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois urging voters not to vote by mail during the summer of 2020. The robocalls, which were designed to suppress the vote in predominantly black communities, falsely stated that voting by mail could lead to voter information being harvested by law enforcement, debt collectors, and other government agencies to enforce outstanding warrants and collect outstanding debts. They were sued, along with their lobbying firm (J.M. Burkman & Associates), by the New York Attorney General, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and several individual victims, and subsequently entered into a consent decree in which they agreed to pay the up to $1.25 million to the victims and to the State of New York. The Federal Communications Commission also issued a $5,134,500 penalty against Wohl, Burkman, and their lobbying firm related to the robocall scheme. Wohl and Burkman also pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Ohio (see entry in Ohio) and are currently facing charges in Michigan for their robocall scheme.
Source: herit.ag/3wK6X1P , herit.ag/4aKiADA , herit.ag/4bWkouq
Details
John "Jack" Burkman, and his partner, Jacob Wohl, (both Republican operatives) were involved in a robocall phone scheme in which thousands of calls were made in the name of a non-existent group called Project 1599 to voters in Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois urging voters not to vote by mail during the summer of 2020. The robocalls, which were designed to suppress the vote in predominantly black communities, falsely stated that voting by mail could lead to voter information being harvested by law enforcement, debt collectors, and other government agencies to enforce outstanding warrants and collect outstanding debts. They were sued, along with their lobbying firm (J.M. Burkman & Associates), by the New York Attorney General, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and several individual victims, and subsequently entered into a consent decree in which they agreed to pay the up to $1.25 million to the victims and to the State of New York. The Federal Communications Commission also issued a $5,134,500 penalty against Wohl, Burkman, and their lobbying firm related to the robocall scheme. Wohl and Burkman also pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Ohio (see entry in Ohio) and are currently facing charges in Michigan for their robocall scheme.
Source: herit.ag/3wK6X1P , herit.ag/4aKiADA , herit.ag/4bWkouq
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Douglass Mackey aka "Ricky Vaughn"
Douglass Mackey, aka "Ricky Vaughn," was charged by the federal government with one count of conspiracy to interfere with the right to vote in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 241 for using social media to spread disinformation about voting in the 2016 election with the intent to get people to fail to cast their votes. Vaughn, a conservative social media influencer with 58,000 Twitter followers, coordinated with others using Twitter to create posts and "memes" falsely claiming citizens could vote online by either "retweeting" certain posts, using a specific hashtag, or through text messages. Close to 5,000 Hillary Clinton supporters texted the fictitious number provided by Mackey. He was convicted by a federal jury and was sentenced to seven months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised probation, and was also ordered to pay fines and assessments totaling $15,100.
Source: herit.ag/4bUhJBi , herit.ag/4bSelrf , herit.ag/4dYTi7G , herit.ag/4bzd0Fm
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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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Daniel Schoonhoven was charged by the state in Brooking County with one count of attempting to vote twice in the 2022 general election. Schoonhoven voted early at the county government center and signed an affidavit confirming his identity because he did not have an ID. On election day, Schoonhoven went to his polling location and attempted to vote again. After being confronted with the fact he had already voted and even after election officials located his original ballot, Schoonhoven still denied voting and completed a provisional ballot. Schoonhoven was found guilty by a jury of voting more than once in an election and was sentenced to two years in prison, which was suspended for two years of probation, completion of 80 hours of community service, and payment of a fine of $750.
Source: https://herit.ag/475VczZ
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John Harter was charged by the state in Waukesha County with falsifying voter registration after falsely claiming his residential address on school board candidacy forms. Harter who was running for school board for the Hartland-Lakeside school district, falsely declared his residence at his father's house in Delafield despite living in the neighboring town of Brookfield, which is not in the school district. Harter pleaded guilty to 3 counts of falsifying voter registration and was sentenced to 30 days in jail (subject to work release during the day, referred to in Wisconsin as Huber release), fined $3,026, and assessed $400 in court costs.
Source: herit.ag/45SvqhF , herit.ag/3sZwT70
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Robbyn Tafoya of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, was charged by the state in Waukesha County with one misdemeanor count of absentee ballot election fraud for voting twice in the fall 2020 primary election. She requested, signed, and returned two absentee ballots in the summer of 2020. She pleaded no contest to the charge, was assessed fines and fees totaling $544, and was ordered to reimburse the state $1,635 for the cost of her attorney.
Source: herit.ag/4cL7Run , herit.ag/4f40aBd
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Lisa Campion of Manitowoc County was charged by the state with illegal voting in the 2020 General Election in the Town of Two Rivers despite being ineligible since she was a convicted felon who was still on probation. Campion also voted in a different town from the one named in the registration address she provided. This was discovered during a vote felon audit by the Wisconsin Elections Commission. She pleaded no contest to one count of falsifying voter registration, a misdemeanor, and was ordered to pay $1,083 in fines, court costs, and surcharges.
Source: herit.ag/3YO5HCS , herit.ag/3IhscL7 , herit.ag/3YLLVIl
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Jon Cooper was charged in Randoph County with one misdemeanor count of illegal voting after voting twice in the 2020 General Election. He voted in West Virginia and again in New Mexico. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500.
Source: herit.ag/3LkzsXK , herit.ag/3ZkpdZt , herit.ag/4697Fl9
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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
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.”
