Judge Jeff Weill overturned the results of the June 2020 First Ward Alderman Democratic primary election in Aberdeen, Mississippi, due to absentee ballot fraud, and has ordered a new election. Nicholas Holliday was declared the winner of the June primary by a margin of 37 votes over Robert Devaull. After Devaull filed a lawsuit challenging the results of the race, the Monroe County District court found that 66 of the 84 absentee ballots cast should not have been counted because they were not valid. A notary, Dallas Jones, was arrested for election fraud for notarizing ballots without watching voters sign ballots or checking their identification. In addition to the absentee ballot fraud, the court found evidence of intimidation at the polls by various public officials, including Mayor Maurice Howard, candidate Holliday, and Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Randle, which constituted violations of anti-electioneering rules at polling places. Mississippi. 2021. Election Overturned. Judicial Finding. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Jennifer Robinson, of Canton, falsely registered for an absentee ballot and then voted in 2017 municipal elections. She was charged with multiple counts of voter fraud and voting by an unqualified person for voting in a precinct in which she no longer resided. As part of a plea deal, she was admitted to a pre-trial diversion program. Mississippi. 2019. False Registrations. Ineligible Voting. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Cary Johnson, the former Canton Fire Chief, bought votes using money and beer in his 2017 race for fire chief. Johnson was indicted on three counts of voter fraud, but as part of a plea deal, he plead guilty to one count and was admitted to a pre-trial diversion program. Johnson was given one year to complete the program in order to avoid a felony conviction. Mississippi. 2019. Buying Votes. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Valerie Smith, a former Canton city clerk, falsely attested to witnessing voters swear their applications before her. Smith was charged with 15 felony counts, and pleaded guilty to a charge that she violated voter registration statutes. She was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a fine and cover the costs of the investigation. Mississippi. 2019. Miscellaneous. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Donnell Robinson, of Canton, illegally reigistered and voted despite being ineligible due to prior criminal convictions. Robinson pleaded guilty to a charge of misdemeanor voter fraud. He was sentenced to one year in county jail, which was suspended, placed on six months’ probation, and ordered to pay a $250 fine. Mississippi. 2019. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Andrew Grant, a city alderman in Canton, tried to buy at least one person’s vote in the 2017 municipal election in which he was running. Grant was charged with four counts of voter fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit voter. Grant pleaded guilty to one conspiracy charge. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, which was suspended, and he resigned from office. Mississippi. 2019. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Cory Ferreaz, of Hattiesburg, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegally voting outside his legal district. Ferreaz sought to run for state representative for District 102 in 2017. To run, he filed paperwork attesting to having been a resident of Hattiesburg, part of Forrest County, for two years. However, Ferreaz admitted to voting in Lowndes County in 2015 despite not residing there. He was given a six month suspended sentence, and was ordered to pay court costs, a $200 fine, and a $200 assessment to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. Mississippi. 2018. False Registrations. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
While serving as a deputy circuit clerk, Rhonda Dowdy changed the address of a non-resident to an in-county address so that the individual could vote in a local election in which Dowdy’s uncle was a candidate for sheriff. In exchange for manipulating voter records, Dowdy received a pledge that the voter would vote for a particular candidate. Dowdy resigned from her post and pleaded guilty to a criminal information charge. Mississippi. 2015. False Registrations. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Mamie Johnson pleaded guilty to voting out of district of legal domicile for the 2013 Hattiesburg mayoral election. Johnson received a suspended sentence of six months and was ordered to pay a $200 fine and $220.84 in court costs. Mississippi. 2015. False Registrations. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Mack Charles West, Jr. pleaded guilty to misdemeanor voting out of district of legal domicile in the 2013 mayoral race in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. When West was arrested on January 28, 2015, he was on probation on a felony shoplifting charge. The voting fraud charge violated that probation, and West was booked into jail. On March 12, 2015, in Forrest County Circuit Court, West received a suspended sentence of six months and was fined $200 and ordered to pay $220.84 in court costs. Mississippi. 2015. False Registrations. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Cobby Williams pleaded guilty to voter fraud charges in connection with misconduct surrounding the 2013 City of Canton elections. Williams went to the home of Pamela Walker with the intent to register her to vote for the election, and insisted that she fill out a registration form even after she informed him that she was a convicted felon and ineligible to vote. Williams then submitted these completed forms to the county clerk’s office. Williams was sentenced to a five-year suspended term, during which time he will be on supervised probation. Mississippi. 2014. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Alethea Michelle Shaw, Carmon Yvette Anderson, and Joseph Lee Anderson each pleaded guilty to voting out of district of legal domicile. Shaw voted in a general election on June 4, 2013, in Hattiesburg even though her legal residence was outside Hattiesburg city limits. Carmon Yvette Anderson and Joseph Lee Anderson voted in a special election on September 24, 2013. Their legal residence was in Moselle, also outside of Hattiesburg. They each received a suspended sentence of six months, were fined $200, and ordered to pay $220.84 in court costs. Mississippi. 2014. False Registrations. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
In 2013, Kimberly Readus, an Executive Committee member of the Canton City Elections, was convicted of stealing a ballot box. She was fined $950, sentenced to 30 days of jail time suspended, and placed on probation. Mississippi. 2013. Altering the Vote Count. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Terrance Watts, a convicted felon and therefore ineligible to vote, pleaded guilty to two counts of voter fraud for swearing in an affidavit on an absentee ballot that he was eligible to vote in Madison County and for voting in two elections. He was sentenced to two consecutive five-year prison terms. Mississippi. 2011. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
NAACP official Lessadolla Sowers was convicted on 10 counts of fraudulently casting absentee ballots for voting in the names of 10 people, four of them deceased. She received a five-year sentence for each count, to be served concurrently. Mississippi. 2011. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Benton County supervisor Tate King was convicted of committing voter fraud after he paid people to vote for him in the 2007 primary and runoff elections. Eleven others who were also under investigation in connection with this matter have also either pleaded guilty or been convicted. He was sentenced to one year in prison, two years on house arrest, and two years of supervised release, in addition to a $5,000 fine. Norton received three years’ supervised probation, and Massey received one year of house arrest and two years of supervised release. Mississippi. 2010. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Larry “Tip” Massey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit voter fraud in connection with his involvement in a 2007 Benton County election vote-buying scheme. He was sentenced to five years in prison, although three of those years were suspended. He will serve two years in prison and another two under supervised probation. Mississippi. 2010. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Kenny Ray Bowen and Billy Street both pleaded guilty to two counts of voter fraud in connection with their involvement in a vote-buying scheme surrounding the 2007 Benton County election. They were the last of 16 individuals who either pleaded guilty or were found guilty of voter fraud in an elaborate electioneering operation. Both men were sentenced to five years, with four-and-a-half years suspended, six months to serve under house arrest, and four-and-a-half years under post-release supervision. Bowen and Street were also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine to the Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund. Mississippi. 2010. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Jerry Huck Childers, Cooper Epps, David Massey, Arnold Rooker, Sr., and Stanley Maurice Warren all pleaded guilty to voter fraud charges in connection with their involvement in a vote-buying scheme surrounding the 2007 Benton County election. They were part of ring of 16 individuals who either pleaded guilty or were found guilty of voter fraud in an elaborate electioneering operation. Mississippi. 2010. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Jasper Buggs, Sr., James Bullock, and Ronnie Wilkerson pleaded guilty to voter fraud charges in connection with their involvement in a vote-buying scheme surrounding the 2007 Benton County election. Buggs pleaded guilty to two counts of voter fraud, Bullock pleaded guilty to five counts of voter fraud, and Wilkerson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit voter fraud. All three men were sentenced to five years, with four years suspended and one year to serve under house arrest on each count, all the counts to run concurrently. They were also sentenced to four years of post-release supervision and were ordered to pay a $1,000 fine to the Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund. Mississippi. 2010. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary