accessIndiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2008

Attorney General Steve Carter & Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter Conclude the Largest Vote Fraud Prosecution in State History

Report of Nearly 90 Percent Conviction Rate

(HAMMOND, IN) – Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter and Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter announced today a nearly 90 percent success rate in convicting those charged with vote fraud as part of the 2003 East Chicago primary election investigation and prosecution.  The Attorney General and Prosecutor joined forces in the fall of 2003 to investigate voter fraud following the infamous 2003 mayoral primary election. Their joint task force’s initial actions were followed by the Indiana Supreme Court’s unprecedented order of a special election the following year. Indiana State Police investigators provided critical assistance as part of the task force.

“This concludes the extraordinary work in the area of vote fraud completed by the joint task force,” said Attorney General Carter. “At no other time in our state’s history have 46 people, 26 of which were public officials or public employees, been convicted of vote fraud charges. I commend the work of the task force for its efforts in restoring integrity to the electoral process in Lake County.”

“The work of the joint task force has achieved a high rate of success,” Carter said. “The goal was to protect future elections by pursuing the corruption that occurred in the ’03 East Chicago primary election. There haven’t been extensive allegations of vote fraud in Lake County since the joint task force began its investigation in 2003.”           

“Five years ago, many skeptics thought this investigation would go no where and those who corrupted the election process would never be held accountable. Forty-six convictions later, it’s clear the skeptics were wrong”, added Carter.

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 (the last sentencing occurred today), and two were acquitted at trial.

Of the 46 individuals involved, 21 were convicted of felonies and 25 of misdemeanors. The group included four East Chicago Police Officers, two East Chicago City Fire Department employees, two current or former City Councilmen, two Court employees, one Lake County Deputy Sheriff, three political precinct committeemen, and 15 other municipal employees. The types of illegal activity included voting in precincts other than where the individuals lived, applying and voting in another’s name, forgery, and perjury.

The vote fraud that occurred in the ’03 East Chicago Primary Election involved 11 different communities. Of the 46 individuals convicted, 15 were residents of East Chicago, seven were Hammond residents, five were Gary residents, four were Merrillville residents, three were Highland residents, two were Schereville residents, two were Dyer residents, two were Hobart residents, two were Portage residents, two others were St. John residents, one was a Munster resident and the last individual’s residence is unknown.

"Our right to vote in an election is only as strong as the process itself," Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter said. "When an election is tainted by fraud, the entire process fails. I believe that the results of the joint investigative and prosecutorial efforts by the Lake County Prosecutor's Office, the Attorney General and Indiana State Police send a strong and clear message to all our citizens that we value the integrity of the process and will not tolerate its abuse."

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 investigation prosecution and of these cases.

Those convicted are:

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