Convictions Piling up as Next Election Nears
MacIver News Service | October 5, 2010
[Milwaukee, Wisc…] Two felons in Milwaukee, who are prohibited by state law from voting, admitted that they committed election fraud in the last Presidential Election.David Lewis and Ramon Martinez, who were charged with election fraud arising out of the November 4, 2008, Presidential Election, entered guilty pleas Tuesday wherein they admitted they voted illegally while on an active period of felony supervision. A felon on an active period of supervision for a felony offense is prohibited by state law from voting in any election.
“The right to vote is the most fundamental of all political freedoms. But it isn’t simply the right to vote that protects our democracy; it is the right to vote in fair elections, untainted by election fraud,” said Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen. “Make no mistake, the dilution of one’s lawful vote through the unlawful casting of ballots is a dilution of the most fundamental of our political freedoms.”
Both Lewis and Martinez were convicted of one count of Voting by a Disqualified Person. At the time of the election, Lewis and Martinez were both on active periods of probation for felony convictions in Milwaukee County.
Lewis was also charged with one count of Providing False Information to Election Officials; however, that count was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
By pleading guilty, Lewis admitted that he registered to vote at the polls in November of 2008 and then cast a ballot. Martinez admitted to also casting a ballot at the polls on November 4, 2008.
Each individual charge carries a potential penalty of imprisonment up to 3 ½ years and a $10,000 fine. Sentencing for both is scheduled for November 9, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.
In July, Van Hollen announced the launch of a joint Elections Integrity Task Force Efforts with District Attorneys in eleven of Wisconsin’s largest counties.
That multijurisdictional action team follows the partnership in Milwaukee County, which investigated and prosecuted Miles. According to Van Hollen, the expanded, and bipartisan, Task Force will develop and share information, resources, tactics and strategy regarding matters involving election integrity and the enforcement of Wisconsin’s elections laws. It was the Milwaukee collaboration that led to today’s conviction.
Prior to the November 2008 election, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced the creation of the Election Fraud Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional action team that evaluates, investigates and prosecutes complaints of electoral fraud. The Department of Justice and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office work cooperatively with local law enforcement and the Milwaukee Police Department as needed when investigation is required.
Click here for previous MacIver News stories and MacIver opinion pieces on vote fraud.
The following is an updated list of the cases that have been charged by the Election Fraud Task Force relating to the 2008 General Presidential Election. Source: Wisconsin Department of Justice.
DOJ Cases:
Frank Walton
Charge: Falsely Procuring Voter Registration (Felony Class I)
Next date: December 6, 2010, for sentencing
Walton was a special registration deputy (“SRD”) who solicited voter registrations while working for the Community Voter Project (“CVP”).
Michael Henderson
Charges: Voting by a Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to an Election Official (Felony Class I)
Next date: November 19, 2010, for motion decision on defense constitutional challenge
This is a felon voter case. Milwaukee Public Defender is challenging the felon voter prohibition.
Maria Miles
Charge: Falsely Procuring Voter Registration – as party to a crime (Felony Class I)
Next date: October 15, 2010, for sentencing
Former ACORN Special Registration Deputy.
Kevin Clancy
Charge: Falsely Procuring Voter Registration – as party to a crime (Felony Class I)
Next date: October 15, 2010, for projected guilty plea
Clancy was an ACORN SRD with Miles.
Herbert Gunka
Suzanne Gunka
Charge: Double Voting (Felony Class I)
Next date: November 15, 2010, for final pretrial
January 24, 2011, for jury trial
Husband and wife voted by absentee ballot and at the polls.
David Lewis
Charge: Voting by a Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to an Election Official (Felony Class I)
Next date: November 9, 2010, for sentencing
This is a felon voter case.
Ramon Martinez
Charge: Voting by a Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Next date: November 9, 2010, for sentencing
This is a felon voter case.
Milwaukee County Cases:
Endalyn Adams
Charge: Falsely Procuring Voter Registration – as party to a crime (Felony Class I)
Sentence: 15 months IC, 15 months ES – imposed and stayed
3 years probation
Community service
Adams worked for CVP as a SRD.
Adam Mucklin
Charges: Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Intentional Violation of Election Duty (Felony Class I)
Sentence: Both charges were amended to attempted offenses, making each misdemeanors (attempt to commit a Class I felony)
Count 1: 4 months incarceration
Count 2: 7 months incarceration imposed and stayed with 1 year probation
Mucklin was a convicted felon on active supervision while working for CVP. He registered himself to vote (while on active felony supervision) and also registered others as an SRD.
Latoya Lewis
Charge: Falsely Procuring Voter Registration (Felony Class I)
Sentence: 12 months incarceration – imposed and stayed
3 years probation
3 months incarceration as condition of probation
Lewis and her mother were employed by ACORN as SRDs.
Lavelle Morris– CLOSED
Charges: Voting by Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Sentence: Count 1: 90 days incarceration
Count 2: Dismissed and read-in
This is a felon voter case.
L.B. Dean – CLOSED
Charges: Voting by Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Sentence: Count 1: 60 days incarceration
Count 2: Dismissed and read-in
This is a felon voter case.
Stephen Wroblewski – CLOSED
Charge: Providing False Information to Obtain Absentee Ballot (Misdemeanor)
Sentence: $500 fine
Wroblewski obtained an absentee ballot in his late-wife’s name in order to “fulfill her dying wish” to vote for Obama.
Edward Johnson – CLOSED
Charges: Voting by Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Sentence: Count 1: 90 days jail with huber release
Count 2: Dismiss and read-in
This is a felon voter case.
Orlando Maclin
Charges: Voting by Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Next date: November 19, 2010, for motion decision on defense constitutional challenge
This is a felon voter case. Tagging along with the Michael Henderson case.
Veronica Toney
Charges: Voting by Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Next date: October 25, 2010, for scheduling
This is a felon voter case.
Leon Pendleton
Charges: Voting by Disqualified Person (Felon) (Felony Class I)
Providing False Information to Election Official (Felony Class I)
Next date: October 14, 2010, for scheduling
This is a felon voter case.
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