4.09.08
On Tuesday, Devon Derrel Goodlow from Acampo pleaded guilty in San Joaquin County Superior Court to vote fraud charges.  In 2006, Goodlow registered voters under the fictitious name of Felix Atuna.  He was hired to register voters for the Proposition 84 campaign and decided to ease the process by making up the names of voters by the box load, according to San Joaquin County Registrar Austin Erdman.  Erdman said his staff thought there was something fishy going on when they found four registration cards for "Felix Atuna" living at 622 N. Sacramento St., the address of the Lodi chapter of the Salvation Army.  "There were literally boxes (of voter registration cards) that looked like they were written by the same person," Erdman said.  Goodlow pleaded guilty for attempting to register "Atuna" and was sentenced to six months in jail and five years' formal probation.  He also was ordered not to engage in any voter registration activity for the term of his probation.  "This case reinforces the fact that those who attempt to alter or pad the voter rolls with fictitious names will be caught, and they will be punished," Secretary of State Deborah Bowen said.  The Stockton Record has more on the story here.

02.12.08
Chris Kavanagh, who faces six felony counts for allegedly misrepresenting where he lives, has resigned from his post on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board. The criminal charges against Kavanagh are still pending, and he's due back in Alameda County Superior Court on Feb. 22 for a preliminary hearing. The criminal charges include four counts of voter fraud, one count of perjury, and one count of grand theft for accepting a monthly stipend and health insurance while serving on the board. Kavanagh’s resignation was expressed in a letter where he acknowledged that he didn't "technically comply” with Berkeley's residency requirements. The San Jose Mercury News has more on the story.

01.11.08
Facing charges of bribery, extortion, and election fraud, San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew agreed to resign from office on Thursday. In November, Jew pleaded not guilty to federal bribery, extortion, and fraud charges for allegedly demanding $80,000 from restaurant owners to expedite permits and other business with the planning department. In exchange for his resignation, city officials agreed to drop their ethics investigation and a civil lawsuit that sought to remove him from the Board of Supervisors. Jew also still faces separate state charges for allegedly lying about living in San Francisco in order to qualify to represent the city’s western neighborhoods. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. The San Jose Mercury News has more on the story here.

11.05.07
A Fair Oaks couple charged with voter fraud in the largest school bond election in county history was sentenced to 60 days in jail or 360 hours of community service Friday in Sacramento Superior Court.  David and Tarah Meyer-Martin, husband and wife, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of fraudulently voting in an election where they were not legally registered.  Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom also sentenced the couple to three years' informal probation.  The Sacramento Bee has more on the story.

10.27.07
Berkeley rent board member Chris Kavanagh was charged Friday with an additional count of voter fraud for allegedly voting in a Berkeley election when he actually lived in Oakland. Kavanagh pleaded not guilty to that count and five other charges first lodged last month by Alameda County prosecutors. On September 21, Kavanagh was arrested on three felony charges of voter fraud, one perjury charge, and one count of grand theft for accepting a monthly stipend and health insurance benefits while serving on the rent board. The San Francisco Chronicle has more on the story. 

09.22.07
Chris Kavanagh, a member of the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, faces three counts of voter fraud and one count each of grand theft and perjury, according to Alameda County District Attorney Thomas Orloff.  Kavanagh was arrested on Friday on charges that he (1) made false statements in papers he filed to run for office and (2) registered to vote in a place where he was not eligible.  Prosecutors also claim Kavanagh committed grand theft by receiving up to $500 a month for serving on the rent board.  The San Diego Union-Tribune has more on the story. 

09.06.07
Court proceedings for a Fair Oaks couple charged with voter fraud in a Folsom Cordova Unified School District bond election have been continued until Oct. 4 in Sacramento Superior Court. David Martin and Tarah Meyer-Martin were charged by the Sacramento County District Attorney's office in July with voter fraud. The couple allegedly filled out and signed voter registration cards, claiming they resided at an apartment where they never actually lived in order to gain eligibility to vote in the March 27 school bond election. The Sacramento Bee has rest of the story.

08.21.07
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Ed Jew, San Francisco supervisor, was in court yesterday, where he pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges alleging perjury, making false statements, and voter fraud. Prosecutors allege that Jew did not live in the city's Sunset District as he claimed, but instead lived in Burlingame. Prosecutors claim that Jew lied about where he lived in order to run for office and vote in local elections. The judge in the case set a tentative date of September 28th for jury selection to begin. If Jew is convicted on any of the charges, he would be forced out of office. Meanwhile, Jew is also being investigated by the FBI on suspicion that he solicited or extorted a bribe from a group of neighborhood businessmen. The San Francisco Chronicle has the rest of the story.

View all Vote Fraud cases across the country.