New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has charged Democratic campaign consultant James Devine with election fraud on the grounds that Devine sent more than 1,900 fraudulent ballots to help Lisa McCormick gain a spot in the 2021 gubernatorial primary.
According to sources, Devine, who managed McCormick’s 2021 campaign, emailed fraudulent voter certifications to the New Jersey Secretary of State’s Division of Elections in April of that year.
According to Platkin, the New Jersey State Committee objected to Devine’s submittal of fictitious ballots, citing the signatures’ consistent calligraphy style and the fact that one of the voters was deceased.
Following an examination of the evidence, the court removed McCormick’s name from the primary ballot. The Daily Caller reports that Devine has been charged with third-degree offenses for tampering with public documents and nomination certificates and fourth-degree offenses for falsifying or tampering with records.
According to Thomas Eicher, the executive director of the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, “Fraudulent acts like this erode faith in our government and the rule of law, and there must be consequences.”
If proven culpable, Devine could spend more than five years in prison.
“My political adversaries pounced on a mistake because they want to intimidate anyone with the temerity to challenge this incredibly corrupt system & I have been a pain in the ass to powerful people. I hope this does not stop people from participating in American democracy,” Devine stated in a post on Twitter.
My political adversaries pounced on a mistake because they want to intimidate anyone with the temerity to challenge this incredibly corrupt system & I have been a pain in the ass to powerful people.
I hope this does not stop people from participating in American democracy.
— James Devine (@James_J_Devine) April 28, 2023
Devine served as the political director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee from 1992 to 1993. He self-described as a “masterful Democratic Party campaign strategist.”
In February, a California Democratic city council member was arrested and accused of election fraud, according to a local publication.
According to CBS Sacramento, Lodi councilman Shakir Khan was detained after being charged with additional offenses. The publication reported that Khan resigned from his position a few days prior to his arrest and then claimed he was fired. According to reports, the new allegations of vote falsification pertain to the 2020 presidential election.
“We became aware of Shakir Khan’s arrest this morning and I had the opportunity to speak with him here at the county jail and asked for his resignation, effective immediately. According to the source, Lodi Mayor Mikey Hothi highlighted in a statement at the time that he had consented to leave. “The city is fully cooperating with the investigation. I want to thank the sheriff’s office and everybody involved, ensuring a fair and thorough process.”
Khan’s attorney told CBS13 that his client felt compelled to leave his job without legal representation because he was under duress at the time. Khan has not yet formally resigned from his position on the municipal council, according to Khan’s attorney. According to the sheriff’s office, there is substantial evidence that Khan betrayed the public’s trust.
Khan was accused of multiple voter fraud-related offenses. Charges included causing, procuring, or allowing a forged voter registration for himself or another individual, submitting a fraudulent candidacy petition, assisting in election fraud, adding fictitious names to candidature petitions, making a false nomination or statement of candidacy, casting votes illegally, and obtaining, assisting, counseling, or advising an ineligible third party.