Ex Philly Congressman Admits To Stuffing Ballot Boxes

PHILADELPHIA — A former United States Congressman from Philadelphia pleaded responsible to federal prices associated to poll field stuffing, authorities stated.

United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams stated former U.S. Congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers, 79, of Philadelphia, pleaded responsible to conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting data, and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election for orchestrating schemes to fraudulently stuff the poll packing containers for particular Democratic candidates within the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Pennsylvania elections.

Myers admitted in court docket to bribing the Judge of Elections for the thirty ninth Ward, thirty sixth Division in South Philadelphia, Domenick J. Demuro, in a fraudulent scheme over a number of years.

Demuro, who was charged individually and pleaded guilty in May 2020, was accountable for overseeing the complete election course of and all voter actions of his Division in accord with federal and state election legal guidelines.

The voting machines at every polling station, together with within the thirty ninth Ward, thirty sixth Division, generate data within the type of a printed receipt documenting the usage of every voting machine.

This printed receipt, often known as the “results receipt,” exhibits the vote totals, and the Judge of Elections and different Election Board Officials at every polling place attest to the accuracy of machine outcomes.

Myers admitted to bribing Demuro to illegally add votes for sure candidates of their mutual political celebration in main elections.

Some of those candidates had been people working for judicial office whose campaigns had employed Myers, and others had been candidates for numerous federal, state, and native elective workplaces that Myers favored for quite a lot of causes.

Myers would solicit funds from his shoppers within the type of money or checks as “consulting fees,” after which use parts of those funds to pay Demuro and others to tamper with election outcomes.

After receiving funds starting from between $300 to $5,000 per election from Myers, Demuro would add fraudulent votes on the voting machine – often known as “ringing up” votes – for Myers’ shoppers and most well-liked candidates, thereby diluting the worth of ballots cast by precise voters.

At Myers’ route, Demuro would add these fraudulent votes to the totals throughout Election Day, after which would later falsely certify that the voting machine outcomes had been correct.

Myers can also be accused of directing Demuro to deceive investigators concerning the circumstances of the bribes and the ballot-stuffing scheme.

Myers additionally admitted to conspiring to commit election fraud with a former Judge of Elections for the thirty ninth Ward, 2nd Division in South Philadelphia, Marie Beren.

Beren, who was charged individually and pleaded responsible in October 2021, was the de facto Judge of Elections and successfully ran the polling locations in her division by putting in shut associates to function members of the Board of Elections.

Myers admitted that he gave Beren instructions so as to add votes to candidates supported by him, together with candidates for judicial office whose campaigns really employed Myers, and different candidates for numerous federal, state, and native elective workplaces most well-liked by Myers for quite a lot of causes.

Myers acknowledged in court docket that on virtually each Election Day, Myers transported Beren to the polling station to open the polls.

During the drive to the polling station, Myers would advise Beren which candidates he was supporting in order that Beren knew which candidates needs to be receiving fraudulent votes. Inside the polling place and whereas the polls had been open, Beren would advise precise in-person voters to assist Myers’ candidates and in addition cast fraudulent votes in assist of Myers’ most well-liked candidates on behalf of voters she knew wouldn’t or didn’t bodily seem on the polls.

During Election Day itself, Myers conferred with Beren by way of cellular phone whereas she was on the polling station concerning the variety of votes cast for his most well-liked candidates.

Beren would report back to Myers what number of “legit votes,” which means precise voters, had appeared on the polls and cast ballots.

If precise voter turnout was excessive, Beren would add fewer fraudulent votes in assist of Myers’ most well-liked candidates.

From time to time, Myers would instruct Beren to shift her efforts from considered one of his most well-liked candidates to a different.

Specifically, Myers would instruct Beren “to throw support” behind one other candidate throughout Election Day if he concluded that his first alternative was comfortably forward.

Beren and her accomplices from the Board of Elections would then falsify the polling books and the List of Voters and Party Enrollment for the thirty ninth Ward, 2nd Division, by recording the names, celebration affiliation, and order of appearances for voters who had not bodily appeared on the polling station to cast his or her poll within the election.

Beren took pains to make sure that the variety of ballots cast on the machines was a mirrored image of the variety of voters signed into the polling books and the List of Voters.

After the polls closed on Election Day, Beren and her associates would falsely certify the outcomes.