FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2008
Attorney General Steve Carter & Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter Close the Door on the 2003 Joint Vote Fraud Task Force with a Plea Agreement
(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – The last remaining defendant targeted by state and local authorities for illegal activity in the 2003 East Chicago primary election accepted a plea agreement today just minutes before his trial was to begin announced Attorney General Steve Carter and Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter.
Terrance Lay, East Chicago, Indiana was charged in 2006 with 10 class D felonies relating to vote fraud including delivering and receiving ballots, inducing another person to apply to vote in another’s name, and conspiracy to vote in another’s name.
“This completes the work that the joint task force set out to accomplish and has resulted in a high rate of success,” said Attorney General Steve Carter. “The progress of the Task Force should have positive ramifications for future elections in Lake County.”
The plea agreement Lay admitted to violating IC 3-14-3-2, failure to cast or return ballot in an authorized manner, is a class A misdemeanor. Sentencing is scheduled for September 24, 2008. Lay faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
The Joint Task Force filed charges against 53 people. One person died and four cases were voluntarily dismissed before trial. Of the 48 individuals remaining, 46 were convicted and two were found not guilty at trial.
The Task Force, including the United State’s Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, also initiated the investigation into former Schererville Town Court Judge Deborah Riga. That investigation resulted in federal criminal charges filed against Riga in 2006. She was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in prison in July.
Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Angela Brown, the investigators and several deputy attorneys general from Attorney General Carter's Office and the Indiana State Police, have led the successful prosecution and investigation of these cases.
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