Peggy West, a former Milwaukee county supervisor, submitted false signatures on a petition to place her on the ballot for the spring 2018 election. According to the complaint filed against her, West forged the signatures of multiple residents within her district, and used a third party to collect other signatures despite the legal requirement that she collect them herself. She later falsely attested to have done so. West pleaded guilty to a charge of election fraud, and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. Wisconsin. 2018. Ballot Petition Fraud. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Jeffrey Hartman, a resident of Westminster, Maryland, illegally registered to vote in both Maryland and Morgan County, West Virginia, and cast ballots in both states nine times since 2006. Hartman pleaded guilty in West Virginia to illegal voting and was given a suspended 30-day jail sentence, was put on probation for one year, and ordered to pay a $100 fine and court costs. West Virginia. 2018. False Registrations. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Shaun Brown, a candidate for the Virginia 2nd Congressional District, was removed from the ballot in the lead-up to the 2018 election after a judge ruled that signatures on the petition to get her on the ballot had been forged. Brown, who ran and lost as a Democrat in 2016, was running as an Independent. Democrats in Virginia filed the suit against Brown, claiming that Republican incumbent Representative Scott Taylor’s campaign hoped to get Brown on the ballot to bolster Taylor’s own re-election chances. All of the petition signatures submitted by Taylor’s staff were thrown out due to errors and forgeries. Brown appealed, but the Virginia Supreme Court upheld her removal from the ballot. An investigation into the alleged forgeries by Taylor campaign staff is ongoing. In the midst of the election drama, Brown was convicted on unrelated charges that she defrauded a federal program intended to serve summer meals to children. Virginia. 2018. Ballot Petition Fraud. Judicial Finding. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Richard Douglas Dohmen, of James City County, committed voter fraud when he attempted to cast ballots for both himself and his dead wife in a 2018 state election. Dohmen was charged with forging public records and making false statements on required forms, and pleaded guilty to making false statements on required forms. He was sentenced to 1 year in the penitentiary, 3 years of unsupervised probation, and was ordered to pay a $458 fine. Virginia. 2018. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Cassandra Ritter, a felon convicted on heroin distribution charges, cast a ballot despite being an ineligible voter due to her prior conviction. Ritter pleaded guilty and received a suspended two-year prison sentence and two years of supervised probation. Virginia. 2018. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
A closely contested run-off election for a Justice of Peace seat was overturned by Visiting District Court Judge Joel Johnson, following a two-day hearing. A challenge to the election was filed by Ofelia “Ofie” Gutierrez, the candidate running against long time seatholder, Esequiel “Cheque” De La Paz, for the Justice of the Peace seat in Kleberg County. After a recount narrowed the vote differential to just six votes (312 to 318), seven of the sixteen votes contested by Guiterrez were thrown out by Judge Johnson, because they were cast by relatives of De La Paz who lived outside the Precinct 4 boundaries. A new election was ordered to be held before the end of August. Texas. 2018. Election Overturned. Judicial Finding. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
In a Republican primary for a seat on the Kaufman County Court, Dennis Jones appeared to beat his challenger Tracy Gray by one vote. Gray challenged the results, claiming that a “vote harvester” had submitted a number of illegal mail-in ballots and that numerous eligible provisional ballots were uncounted. A district judge agreed, invalidating the election results and ordering a new election. The special election was held on July 21 and Tracy Gray prevailed, winning by 404 votes. Texas. 2018. Election Overturned. Judicial Finding. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Armando O’Cana won a run-off mayoral election in Mission, Texas, unseating longtime holder Norberto ‘Beto’ Salinas. Salinas contested the results of the election, after strong evidence emerged that O’Cana’s campaign was bribing voters, tampering with mail-in ballots, and improperly assisting voters at the polls. After a two week trial during which numerous witnesses testified, Judge J. Bonner Dorsey voided the election stating, ‘I hold or find, by clear and convincing evidence, that the number of illegal votes was in excess of 158.’ Attorneys for O’Cana are currently appealing the ruling in the 13th Texas Court of Appeals. Texas. 2018. Election Overturned. Judicial Finding. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Russ Casey, a Texas Justice of the Peace, submitted false signatures in order to ensure his place on the Republican primary ballot during his 2018 reelection campaign. Casey withdrew and resigned following the revelation that he had falsified multiple petition signatures and falsely attested to having witnessed the signatures. Casey pleaded guilty to a charge of tampering with a government record, and received a suspended two-year prison sentence and five years of probation. Texas. 2018. Ballot Petition Fraud. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Rosita Flores, of Robstown, illegally obtained an elderly voter’s mail-ballot, filled it out, and cast the ballot without the permission of the voter. Flores pleaded guilty and received a suspended one-year jail sentence, 18 months of probation, and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $316 in court costs. She was also ordered to complete 60 hours of community service and spend 10 consecutive Saturdays in the San Patricio County Jail. Texas. 2018. Illegal “Assistance” at the Polls. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Miguel Hernandez visited an elderly woman shortly before the 2017 Dallas City Council election, collected her blank absentee ballot, filled it out, and forged her signature before mailing it back. Hernandez was the first person arrested as part of a larger voter fraud investigation in the Dallas area, stemming from claims by elderly voters that someone was forging their signatures and the return of nearly 700 mail-in ballots all signed by the same witness using a fake name. Hernandez faced a felony illegal voting charge, but pleaded to a lesser misdemeanor offense of “method of returning marked ballot.” He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and given credit for time served. Texas. 2018. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Mario Obdulio Orellana, a 57-year-old Salvadoran national, was indicted in June 2018 by the Department of Justice on federal immigration and voter fraud violations. An investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Texas revealed that Orellana illegally entered the United States in the 1980s, falsified documents to obtain a U.S. birth certificate and social security number, and then used these documents to apply for a U.S. passport and register to vote. His five-count indictment included voter fraud charges related to his voting in the November 2016 election. As part of a plea agreement, Orellana pleaded guilty to making false statements in a U.S. passport application in exchange for the other charges being dropped. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Texas. 2018. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Laura Janeth Garza, a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of voter impersonation and ineligible voting. Garza stole the identity of her cousin, a US citizen, in order to remain in the United States, and used it to register and vote in multiple elections, including the 2016 presidential election. Garza received a probated 10-year prison sentence, 180 days in jail, and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. After her jail term is completed, Garza will be deported. Texas. 2018. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Cynthia Gonzalez, of Nueces County, marked and mailed ballots that were not her own in the 2016 Nueces County Democratic Primary. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to three charges of election code violations and was sentenced to serve five days in the San Patricio County Jail. Texas. 2018. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Betty Best, of Monroe County, conspired with Brian “Wormy” Hodge to buy votes for Randy White’s campaign for Sheriff. White narrowly won the race, but was subsequently removed from the post. The pair paid between $20 and $40 per vote. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to buy votes, mainly absentee ballots. Best was sentenced to three years of probation. Tennessee. 2018. Buying Votes. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
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. Pennsylvania. 2018. Miscellaneous. Diversion Program. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
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. Pennsylvania. 2018. Miscellaneous. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Ronald Henry, a 2015 candidate for trustee in Luther, Oklahoma, brought several absentee ballots to be notarized by Mayor Cecilia Taft. It is illegal for a ballot to be notarized without the person signing being present. Ronald Henry entered an Alford plea to the charges and received a five-year deferred sentence. Oklahoma. 2018. Fraudulent Use of Abs. Ballots. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Leslie C. Allen, of Columbus, was found guilty of attempted illegal voting. Allen was charged with one count of illegal voting, and pleaded guilty to attempted illegal voting, a fifth degree felony. She was sentenced to community control (probation) for twelve months, and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $168 in court fees. Ohio. 2018. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary
Kenyron O. Glasgow, of Columbus, pled guilty to illegal voting. Glasgow was charged with two counts of false election registration and two counts of illegal voting, and pleaded guilty to illegal voting, a fourth degree felony. He was sentenced to community control (probation) for twelve months and was ordered to pay a $200 fine and court fees. Ohio. 2018. Ineligible Voting. Criminal Conviction. Fraud Investigation. Report Summary