Election Fraud Cases

Calvin Mattox

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: bit.ly/2zc7I1A, cbsloc.al/2zfYBNh

Wallace Hill

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: bit.ly/2zbCtUp, bit.ly/2zc7I1A

Thurman George

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: bit.ly/2zcmqpj, cbsloc.al/2zfYBNh

Dolores Shaw

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: bit.ly/2zbCtUp, bit.ly/2zc7I1A, cbsloc.al/2zfYBNh

Richard Cummings Jr.

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: bit.ly/2GiOgXw, bit.ly/2xOzAHM

Cheryl Ali (aka Cheryl Jamison)

Cheryl Ali, 57, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges: unlawful assistance in voting, and falsely holding the position of an election officer. In the May 2014 primary, Ali voted on behalf of her mother, whom she claimed was ill. In the May 2014 general election, Ali served as machine inspector at a polling place even though she did not live in that division. Ali was sentenced to one year of probation and stripped of her voting rights for the next four years. As part of her plea bargain, the felony charges against her were dismissed.

Source: bit.ly/2f8z2D8, bit.ly/2eGMXiZ

Myron Cowher, Dmitry Kupershmidt

Myron Cowher and Dmitry Kupershmidt were found guilty of attempting to rig a May 2014 election in the private community of Wild Acres Lakes. According to Wild Acres Property Manager Robert Depaolis, Cowher approached him and asked him to provide Cowher with ballots that were due to be mailed to property owners in the community who seldom voted, for the express purpose of filling out those ballots and guaranteeing victory for Cowher's preferred Board of Directors candidates. Depaolis went to the state police, who surveilled a meeting where Depaolis handed over the ballots, catching Cowher in the act of filling out the mail-in ballots. He was arrested and subsequently convicted on 217 counts, including forgery, identity theft, and criminal conspiracy. His accomplice, Kupershmidt, was found guilty on 190 counts. Cohwer received a sentence of between 18 months and four years in a state correctional facility, and was ordered to pay a $10,850 fine. Kuperschmidt's sentencing has been delayed due to a change in attorneys.

Source: bit.ly/2lpcJOx, bit.ly/2lphGqI, bit.ly/2mm85yE

Robin Trainor, Laura Murtaugh

Robin Trainor, 56, and Laura Murtaugh, 57, were each sentenced to a year of probation and will not be allowed to vote for the next four years after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of election code violations. According to witnesses, Trainor, who was serving as the judge of elections at the polling place (even though she was disqualified from doing so as a public official), went into the voting booth with her husband and told him how to vote. She then stepped out of the voting booth, spoke to Murtaugh (who was serving as the minority elections inspector at the polling place), signed the election register under her 23-year-old son's name, reset the voting machine, returned to the voting booth, and cast a ballot in his name. Trainor pleaded guilty to two charges--failure to perform duty and falsely holding the position of an election officer--and Murtaugh pleaded guilty to failure to perform her duty. As part of their plea bargains, the felony charges against them were dismissed.

Source: bit.ly/2f8z2D8, bit.ly/2eGMXiZ

Eugene Gallagher

Eugene Gallagher pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in connection with the November 2013 election, in which he was a candidate for councilman in the Taylor Borough. He unlawfully persuaded Taylor residents and non-residents to register for absentee ballots in the election using a Taylor address. Gallagher was the top vote-getter in the election and won his first term as councilman. With his guilty plea, Gallagher can no longer hold public office. A judge sentenced him to a maximum of 10 months in jail and two months of house arrest for both his election fraud conviction and a DUI conviction. He was also sentenced to more than five years of court supervision and 200 hours of community service.

Source: bit.ly/2f8ze5k

Richard Allan Toney

The former police chief of Harmar Township, pleaded guilty to illegally soliciting absentee ballots to benefit his wife and her running mate in the 2009 Democratic primary for town council. Toney applied for the ballots, and then had them filled out illegally by individuals not expected to be absent on election day. The absentee ballot count flipped the primary results, securing a victory for Mrs. Toney's running mate. During the subsequent FBI investigation, Mr. Toney attempted to prevent witnesses, including two grand jury witnesses, from testifying. Toney was sentenced to three years' probation.

Source: bit.ly/2fjmt8l, bit.ly/2ueyupQ

Michael Monaghan

Michael Monaghan pleaded guilty to illegally voting in Pennsylvania.

Source: bit.ly/2uefNTk

David Patrick Duffy

David Patrick Duffy, of Doylestown, pleaded guilty to forgery, record tampering, and making an unsworn falsification to authorities in relation to falsified voter registrations. He forged numerous individuals' signatures on fraudulent voter registrations. Duffy was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay court costs.

Source: bit.ly/2sRMKzK, bit.ly/2suNdsj

Eric Jones, Alexis Givner, and Mario Grisom

Eric Jones, a former ACORN employee, pleaded guilty to a charge of submitting false voter registrations. Meanwhile, fellow Pennsylvania ACORN employees Alexis Givner and Mario Grisom, have also been convicted of registration fraud-related charges. Each was sentenced to two years' probation.

Source: bit.ly/2foJPIH, bit.ly/2f1urF6

Jemar Barksdale

While an employee for ACORN, Jemar Barksdale falsified 18 voter registration cards. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 23 months of house arrest.

Source: bit.ly/2fmisjZ, bit.ly/2fCmwQB

Victor Bernard Pinho

Victor Pinho pleaded guilty to a third-degree misdemeanor charge of unlawful voting. He had illegally voted in both Philadelphia and Lehigh county.

Source: bit.ly/2sv4UYU