Registered Republican Ralph Holloway Thurman voted twice in the 2020 presidential election. After casting his vote, Thurman asked a poll worker if he could vote on behalf of his son, and when workers informed him that it was not allowed, he left the building. Later that day Thurman returned, disguised in a hat and sunglasses, and signed the poll book as his son, a registered Democrat. After casting the second ballot, pollsters recognized him, notified the judge of elections, but Thurman left before election officials could confront him. He pleaded guilty to one count of repeat voting, a felony. Thurman was sentenced to three years’ probation and is barred from voting for four years as part of a negotiated plea deal. Pennsylvania. 2021. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Edward Snodgrass, a registered Republican and a Porter Township Trustee, was charged with one felony count of illegal voting after submitting an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased father in the 2020 General Election. As part of his plea deal, Snodgrass pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of falsification, was sentenced to three days in jail, and fined $500. Ohio. 2021. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Manuel Rodriguez III, of Edwards County, impersonated his elderly grandfather to vote in the 2014 general election while on supervised parole for a felony. He was charged with two counts of illegal voting, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to serve two years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division. Texas. 2017. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Latunia Thomas pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing a ballot. Thomas forged her daughter’s signature and cast a ballot in her name although she was not present at the polls. Thomas was assisted by Jeanene Johnson, both poll workers in Harris County, Texas. Thomas was released after serving one day in jail. Texas. 2017. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Jeanene Johnson pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing a ballot. Johnson assisted Latunia Thomas, a fellow Harris County poll worker, to unlawfully cast a ballot for her daughter, who was not present. Johnson served one day in jail and was released. Texas. 2017. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Sarilu Sosa-Sanchez voted twice in the 2013 election, once in her own name and once in the name of her late mother. Sosa-Sanchez pleaded guilty to a felony forgery charge after admitting she forged her late mother’s signature on a ballot. Sh also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor double voting charge. Sosa-Sanchez was sentenced to 60 hours of community service, was ordered to pay restitution and court fees, and will help the clerk and recorder’s office educate other residents about the consequences of voter fraud. Colorado. 2017. Duplicate Voting. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
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. Pennsylvania. 2016. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
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. Pennsylvania. 2016. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Hazel Woodard, a Democratic Precinct Chairwoman candidate in Fort Worth, was concerned that her husband would not make it to the polls to vote, so she had her teenage son vote for him. The impersonation went undetected until the husband went to the polls later that day and tried to cast a second ballot in his name. Hazel was indicted for impersonation fraud at the polls, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to two years of deferred adjudication probation. Texas. 2015. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Eugene Victor wanted to prove a point about the potential for fraud in New Mexico elections by committing fraud himself. Mr. Victor cast a ballot in his son’s name and later turned himself in to the authorities. He pleaded no contest to a fourth-degree felony charge of false voting and is serving 18 months’ probation. New Mexico. 2015. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Mark Atlas, of Worchester, Massachusetts, was charged in 2013 with voter fraud for voting under someone else’s name. Although Atlas’ attorney claimed it was just a prank, he admitted to sufficient facts for a guilty finding. The charge was continued without a finding for one year, and Atlas was ordered to pay $1000 in court costs, as well as serve 200 hours of community service. Massachusetts. 2015. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Lorenzo Antonio Almanza, of Progreso, was convicted of voting twice in Progreso’s 2009 school board election, once in his own name and once using his incarcerated brother’s name. Almanza was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and five years of probation. Texas. 2013. Duplicate Voting. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Almanza was charged with illegal voting and voter impersonation in a 2009 school district election. Almanza and one of her sons cast votes at a polling place. Later, Almanza brought her son back to the polls, where he cast a vote in the name of his incarcerated brother. She received a two-year suspended sentence, five years’ probation, 90 days in county jail, and court costs. Texas. 2011. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Delores McMillian, a poll worker in Dallas, pleaded guilty to trying to vote using another person’s voter registration information in the 2010 primary election. Another poll worker prevented her from casting a falsified ballot. She was sentenced to one year of probation and was ordered to pay $227 in court costs. Texas. 2011. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Jack Carol Crowder pleaded guilty to one count of fraudulent use of identifying information. Crowder impersonated his deceased father in the 2008 Democratic primary in Harris County. Crowder used his father’s registration card to cast a ballot in his name. He was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $200 fine. Texas. 2009. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Mary Lou Simpson of Manchester was arrested after the 2004 election for attempting to vote in the name of her deceased sister. Ms. Simpson was spotted by a poll worker who recognized that she had already voted earlier in the day. The facts have been confirmed by the district attorney’s office which prosecuted the case. The then 63-year-old woman was convicted of a Class E felony which is punishable by up to two years in prison. Tennessee. 2005. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Crayton was convicted of impersonation fraud for illegally voting in her sister’s name during the 2002 election. She was caught when her sister tried to vote and the poll workers at the precinct found that her name had already been marked as having voted. Crayton pleaded guilty and received a two-year prison sentence, which was reduced to time already served plus two years’ probation. Alabama. 2004. Impersonation Fraud at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary