Election Fraud Cases
Deanna Swenson, a Clackamas County elections official, pleaded guilty to official misconduct and unlawfully altering a ballot. Swenson tampered with ballots by filling in blank spots left by the actual voters. Swenson was ordered to serve 90 days in jail and pay $13,000 in fines.
Lafayette Keaton pleaded guilty to making false statements to elections officials after using the identities of his deceased son and brother to cast multiple ballots. Keaton was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, fined $5,000, and was placed in a one-year post-prison supervision program.
During a 2006 ballot measure, Diana Clagett submitted three signature sheets that contained 27 "questionable signatures" that either belonged to unregistered voters or did not match the signatures on voter registration cards. A Multnomah County grand jury indicted Clagett on two counts of making false statements. She subsequently pleaded guilty to one felony count and was placed on probation.
Ricky Graybael pleaded guilty to one charge of voting more than once in an election. He was sentenced to 24 months' probation, and was ordered to complete 80 hours of community service and pay $67 in court fees.
Leanne Lewis pleaded guilty to being registered and voting in both Columbia County and Washington County during elections in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She was sentenced to 36 months' probation, 40 hours' community service, and fined $857.
Jorge Jesus Hosier was convicted on three counts of making a false statement, and one count of forgery, in relation to an election. Hosier voted despite being ineligible. Hosier was sentenced according to Oregon sentencing guidelines and ordered to pay $1,854 in fines and court costs.
Terence John Finch pleaded guilty to unqualified voting. He voted in Oregon for several years while not a U.S. citizen. He was sentenced to probation, 80 hours' community service, and fined $1,000.
Paul Frankel and his accomplice, James Gurga, used a "bait and switch" technique. They had a fake petition that called for lowering gas taxes which they kept on the top of their clipboards at Lloyd Center Mall in Portland. After people signed it, they would tell them that they had to "verify" their signature by signing all the pages underneath. What the signers didn't know is that they had fooled them into unwittingly signing real petitions. Frankel and Gurga pleaded guilty to fraud charges and election law violations.
Asa Large registered and voted in Wasa and Hood River counties during three elections between 1997_99. He was charged and found guilty of double-voting, a Class C felony. He received 36 months' probation, 250 hours of community service and a $1,328 fine. He was also ordered to take a civics class and send a letter of apology to the editor of The Dalles Chronicle.
Terri Kobialka was a University of Oregon student during the 2000 election when she filled out a ballot mailed to her apartment in the name of a former tenant. Kobialka pleaded guilty to falsely signing a ballot, a Class C felony. She was sentenced to 18 months of probation, ordered to complete 120 hours of community service, and fined $500.
Betty Clark, of Haines, Oregon, voted twice in the 2016 election, in both Washington and Oregon. Clark was temporarily living in Vancouver to help her ailing father when she received and returned a ballot; she filled out a second ballot when she returned home to Oregon. Clark pleaded guilty to a charge of voting when not entitled, and was ordered to pay a $440 fine.
Jeremy Robbins, of Portland, voted in both Washington and Oregon during the 2016 election. Robbins contended that he was suffering from kidney issues and did not recall casting two ballots. Robbins pleaded guilty and the judge waived a $440 fine due to his memory loss and expressions of remorse.
Michael Cruz, of Portland, was suspected of committing voter fraud in the 2016 election. Cruz pled guilty to a reduced charge which resulted in a $1,000 fine and 10 hours of community service.
Katie Meyer, of Medford, voted twice in 2016, in both Oregon and Colorado. Meyer was a student at a Colorado university, and registered to vote there. She also cast an absentee ballot in her Oregon hometown. She pleaded guilty to a violation and was ordered to pay a $225 fine. Meyer cancelled her Colorado voter registration.
Marjory Gale, of Hood River, voted twice in the 2016 election, once for herself and once for her daughter. Both votes were cast by absentee ballot. Gale pleaded guilty to a violation, and was ordered to pay a $750 fine.
