Three people are facing felony voter fraud charges in Madison County in connection with Canton's disputed municipal elections last year.
The individuals, whose names have not been released, were indicted by a grand jury, and more indictments are likely on the way in coming months.
"We expect more individuals to be presented to the next several grand juries," District Attorney Michael Guest said.
Ray Rosamond, an ex-alderman who lost the Democratic Ward 1 runoff election to Rodriquez Brown, has said the municipal elections - especially his race - were rife with fraud. He sees the indictments as a step toward long-awaited justice.
"I feel like they (district attorney's office) have got a good case," Rosamond said. "I think it's just the beginning."
State Rep. Ed Blackmon, the attorney for Brown against Rosamond's failed election challenges in Madison County court, said Rosamond's assessment of the indictments is premature.
"There've been no convictions yet," Blackmon said, adding that it has not been made public whether any of the indicted individuals voted in the Rosamond-Brown race.
Guest said all three indicted last week are convicted felons who either registered or voted after being convicted of a disenfranchising crime.
Together, they're facing multiple counts of false registration, voting by an unqualified person and voter fraud. The penalty is a maximum five-year prison sentence and up to $5,000 in fines.
The controversy surrounding Canton's elections began in May when Rosamond alleged people outside of Ward 1 and Canton voted in the race and that some voters were provided illegal assistance by poll workers, which he said aided Brown to victory.
Rosamond also charged that Ike Brown, Rodriquez Brown's uncle, interfered with the election.
Last year, during the court fight, Rosamond's attorney, Andy Taggart, said his client had a strong case that the "runoff primary results ought to be thrown out and that a special election ought to be called."
Taggart on Monday said he did not yet know the details of the indictments and could not comment.
Read the rest of the article at The Clarion Ledger
No comments:
Post a Comment