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left-of-center2012

(34,195 posts)
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:00 AM May 2020

Ex-elections judge in Philadelphia admits to taking bribes to tamper with elections

Source: The Hill

05/22/20 08:39 AM EDT

Domenick J. Demuro pleaded guilty in March to “conspiring to deprive persons of civil rights, and using interstate facilities in aid of bribery,” the Department of Justice said in a Thursday statement. He has been convicted for his “role in accepting bribes to cast fraudulent ballots and certifying false voting results” during the 2014, 2015 and 2016 primary elections in the city of Philadelphia.

Federal officials said that during the former judge’s guilty plea hearing, he admitted to accepting bribes in the form of money “and other things of value” to add ballots to increase the total number of votes for individual candidates “on the voting machines in his jurisdiction and for certifying tallies of all the ballots, including the fraudulent ballots.”

“Demuro fraudulently stuffed the ballot box by literally standing in a voting booth and voting over and over, as fast as he could, while he thought the coast was clear. This is utterly reprehensible conduct. The charges announced today do not erase what he did, but they do ensure that he is held to account for those actions,” U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania explained in the Thursday statement.

Demuro also said that a political consultant, who was not named by federal officials Thursday, “gave him directions and paid him money” to boost candidates for federal, state and local elections.

Read more: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/499111-ex-elections-judge-in-philadelphia-admits-to-taking-bribes-to



The former judge’s sentencing is scheduled for June 30. He could face up to 15 years in prison.
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Ex-elections judge in Philadelphia admits to taking bribes to tamper with elections (Original Post) left-of-center2012 May 2020 OP
Unmask this republican operative who paid him off! truthisfreedom May 2020 #1
This judge is a Democrat. oldsoftie May 2020 #3
I was a Ward Committman in Philadelphia in 1980....some things never change brooklynite May 2020 #2
There was a 19th century ward healer in Philadelphia. Making a 4th of July speech, 3Hotdogs May 2020 #11
The standard line was that Thomas Jefferson voted in every election until 1960... brooklynite May 2020 #16
My goodness, did they just admit a hole has been found in election results in PA? bucolic_frolic May 2020 #4
Primaries lagomorph777 May 2020 #5
you're right bucolic_frolic May 2020 #6
White "ethnic" enclaves in northern cities are some of the most racist places in the country greenjar_01 May 2020 #13
Multiple years radical noodle May 2020 #7
Wonder how he did it because I imagine it's not easy otherwise the Republicans cstanleytech May 2020 #8
Any Republican running for Philly mayor is a lost cause Freddie May 2020 #9
What is it with Pennsylvanian judges? no_hypocrisy May 2020 #10
These are election judges, they have no power DeminPennswoods May 2020 #19
WOW, voting in-person, has the possibility to be fraudulent? ... aggiesal May 2020 #12
Republicans can't win unless they cheat, and there is always people ready to be paid off. SkatmanRoth May 2020 #14
If he actually threw elections or certified election results he knew were fraudulent... Salviati May 2020 #15
Looks like repubs don't have a monopoly on voter fraud. KS Toronado May 2020 #17
The Thing I Don't Get RobinA May 2020 #21
Money talks and BS walks KS Toronado May 2020 #22
This is why we need to put our money where our mouth is.... not_the_one May 2020 #18
Speaking as former election judge DeminPennswoods May 2020 #20

oldsoftie

(12,410 posts)
3. This judge is a Democrat.
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:10 AM
May 2020

So i doubt he was stuffing republican ballots. Possible i guess, if the money was right!
Of course the story is lacking a LOT of facts; who paid him? Who was he stuffing votes FOR? Was it one or more candidates?

3Hotdogs

(12,207 posts)
11. There was a 19th century ward healer in Philadelphia. Making a 4th of July speech,
Fri May 22, 2020, 11:04 AM
May 2020

he rose to the occasion with (paraphrased)

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin once voted here. In fact, they still vote here, today.

bucolic_frolic

(42,662 posts)
4. My goodness, did they just admit a hole has been found in election results in PA?
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:13 AM
May 2020

What was going on in those several small city rural counties that broke sharply for Trump in 2016? I never understood why Trump was paying attention to mostly ethnic places where people rarely vote and never move, generation after generation. A billionaire comes to town and suddenly they are all wearing MAGA hats and chanting. So what goes on in Philadelphia ...........?

bucolic_frolic

(42,662 posts)
6. you're right
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:21 AM
May 2020

let's hope they maintain more controls for fair elections in general elections. maybe the two parties keep each other in check.

 

greenjar_01

(6,477 posts)
13. White "ethnic" enclaves in northern cities are some of the most racist places in the country
Fri May 22, 2020, 11:16 AM
May 2020

Just saying. It doesn't take much to turn them into frothing MAGA-ites. They're primed for it.

radical noodle

(7,990 posts)
7. Multiple years
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:32 AM
May 2020

So this is unlikely to be one presidential candidate. Maybe a local office? We really need to know who was paying him and who he was pushing votes for.

In the last few years I've begun to have no faith in our election system.

cstanleytech

(26,080 posts)
8. Wonder how he did it because I imagine it's not easy otherwise the Republicans
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:35 AM
May 2020

would not work as hard to prevent people from being able to vote.

Freddie

(9,231 posts)
9. Any Republican running for Philly mayor is a lost cause
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:40 AM
May 2020

So the “real” election is the primary and things can get ugly.

no_hypocrisy

(45,771 posts)
10. What is it with Pennsylvanian judges?
Fri May 22, 2020, 10:47 AM
May 2020

About a decade ago, a judge in Wilkes-Barre took bribes to channel wayward youths into a private prison.

Or is it everywhere and the judges only get caught in PA?

aggiesal

(8,864 posts)
12. WOW, voting in-person, has the possibility to be fraudulent? ...
Fri May 22, 2020, 11:09 AM
May 2020

We should get rid of in-person voting.

Maybe vote-by-mail? Wait, that has the possibility to be fraudulent as well?

Let's do internet voting, nobody ever hacks that! Whaaaat?

Now I know how they'll try to get rid of voting altogether.
We're screwed.

SkatmanRoth

(843 posts)
14. Republicans can't win unless they cheat, and there is always people ready to be paid off.
Fri May 22, 2020, 11:34 AM
May 2020

When the price is right, there will be individuals who will do the wrong thing for profit. The Republicans plan to cheat at every level in every race possible. Card check, voter ID, and purging voters is just the common ways they cheat, but good old fashion bribery is still an option.

Salviati

(6,002 posts)
15. If he actually threw elections or certified election results he knew were fraudulent...
Fri May 22, 2020, 11:54 AM
May 2020

Then 15 years in prison is getting off extremely light IMO.

KS Toronado

(16,901 posts)
17. Looks like repubs don't have a monopoly on voter fraud.
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:10 PM
May 2020

Hope a Biden WH will outlaw voting machines, appears there's always fraud problems associated with them. Vote by mail will eliminate almost all fraud, one ballot = one set of votes with paper trail.

 

not_the_one

(2,227 posts)
18. This is why we need to put our money where our mouth is....
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:27 PM
May 2020

$1,000,000 reward (net, as in after taxes) to ANYONE who can provide verifiable PROOF of election tampering, punishable by serving time.

It doesn't matter if it is for republicans OR democrats. Our elections are sacrosanct.

Get it out there so that the republicans KNOW that someone will drop the dime on them, and they will end up in jail.

If Putin meddles with electronic votes, SOMEONE will know about it.

If paper ballots are meddled with by someone at the USPS, SOMEONE will know about it.

For most people 1,000,000 is still a lot of money. And money talks.

Blooberg or Steyer, or both, could handle this easily.

DeminPennswoods

(15,246 posts)
20. Speaking as former election judge
Fri May 22, 2020, 12:32 PM
May 2020

in Philadelphia. I am appalled by this behavior. I never witnessed anything like this and there were 3 other precincts in the same poll location as mine. The other election board members should never have allowed this - and there is a minority party (in Philly it's usually a Republican) board member. The number of voters should always add up to the total number of votes recorded, it can never exceed total voters.

Because it's so heavily Democratic by voter registration, the Dem primary is often more important than the general election.

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