ACORN Worker Pleads Guilty to Felony Vote Fraud in Wisconsin

MacIver News Service | October 15, 2010

[Milwaukee, Wisc…]  A Milwaukee man charged with election fraud arising out of his work for the controversial ACORN group during the 2008 Presidential Election has plead guilty to the felony charges against him.

Kevin Clancy was charged with one count of Falsely Procuring Voter Registration as Party to a Crime by the Election Fraud Task Force, a collaborative effort between the Department of Justice, the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office and the Milwaukee Police Department.

“The integrity of elections is dependent upon citizens and officials insisting they be conducted lawfully,” Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen told MacIver News. “Wisconsin’s citizens should not have to wonder whether their vote has been negated or diminished by illegally cast ballots.”

According to the criminal complaint, Clancy served as a Special Registration Deputy (“SRD”) for the City of Milwaukee in advance of the 2008 Presidential Election.  He worked for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”).

Clancy was accused of submitting multiple voter registration applications for the same individuals, and also was part of a scheme in which he and other SRDs registered each other to vote multiple times in order to meet voter registration quotas imposed by ACORN.

This charge carries a potential penalty of imprisonment up to 3 ½ years and a $10,000 fine.  Sentencing has been scheduled for November 18, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Richard Sankovitz.  Clancy’s co-defendant and former coworker, Maria Miles, pleaded guilty to a similar charge.  She was scheduled for sentencing this morning, but her case was adjourned to complete a presentence evaluation.  Her new sentencing date is December 6, 2010, at 8:30 a.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.

Status of Other Vote Fraud Cases

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.

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)
This is a felon voter case.

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