Democrats reminded "election fraud is a crime"

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/kr/20040227/lo_krphiladelphia/tomferrickjraclearpositiononfraudisforged ^ | Tom Ferrick Jr

[mc6809e]

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office sent a startling message to the city's Democratic political apparatus this week:

Election fraud is a crime, punishable by imprisonment, fines or both.

A veteran ward leader and two of his committee people were indicted on multiple counts of forgery, fraud and perjury in connection with an alleged election scheme.

[mc6809e]

I've seen threads here before about election fraud. How much progress has there been in cleaning things up?

It really surpises me that Republicans aren't more behind this. They're the ones obviously getting hurt by this fraud.

[longtermmemmory]

It seems to be a story warning people not to get caught. Not don't do it.

[Jeff Chandler]

It really surpises me that Republicans aren't more behind this. They're the ones obviously getting hurt by this fraud.

Republicans don't want to hurt Democrats' feelings. Then they might not like them.

[dallasgop]

Election fraud is a major problem in much of Texas, especially in South Texas. Democratic contractors canvass for,then register illegals. They then "handle" their absentee ballot for them. I suspect this is also a problem where ever we have large numbers or apathetic minority voters.

[185JHP]

IMO Gore really lost by at least 5 Million votes.

[Mo1]

Philly has voter fraud down to an art form .. I'm actually surprised the AG send a letter out

[The Amazing Idiot]

Remember, it's only illegal if you can catch them.

Then it's an "oversight".

[KangarooJacqui]

"Vote early and vote often..."

[RWR8189]

No real reason to excerpt, right?

 

Tom Ferrick Jr. | A clear position on fraud is forged

By Tom Ferrick Jr.

Inquirer Columnist

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office sent a startling message to the city's Democratic political apparatus this week:

Election fraud is a crime, punishable by imprisonment, fines or both.

Attorney General Jerry Pappert found a way to make sure the message got through to Democratic bigwigs:

A veteran ward leader and two of his committee people were indicted on multiple counts of forgery, fraud and perjury in connection with an alleged election scheme.

They are charged with forging more than 240 signatures on the nominating petitions of a City Council candidate in last year's election.

Among those named was Michael Stack Jr., longtime leader of the 58th Ward in Northeast Philly.

Stack, 76, has an impeccable political pedigree. He is a lawyer, the son of a congressman, the father of a state senator, and the husband of a judge.

He was also the patron of a would-be candidate named John Farley.

Farley is a hero of this tale because he had the moxie to press his complaints against the elder Stack with law enforcement officials.

I offer a bow of thanks to the Attorney General's Office because it took Farley's complaints seriously.

A grand jury was impaneled in Harrisburg. Justice Department agents were dispatched to the 58th Ward to question voters. A lot of field work was done to yield the charges against the three politicos. (The others charged were James McGinley and Arline Petroff, Stack minions in the 58th.)

Winking at fraud

The case is significant because, for too long, the city's political elite has treated these types of shenanigans as the equivalent of a prank. Just harmless fun. Something to wink at.

It's nice to know that outside this La La Land of One-Party Rule, people still take election fraud seriously.

The back story here deals with Farley, 37, a post office employee and father of two.

It was his desire to run against Republican City Councilman Brian J. O'Neill in the city's 10th District. He knew his odds of winning were slim, but he wanted to try - and also establish his bona fides for later elections.

In this ambition, Farley was encouraged by the elder Stack and his son, State Sen. Michael Stack 3d.

Up to a point.

He began to suspect the Stacks were using him as a pawn, seeking political concessions from O'Neill in exchange for removing Farley from the ballot so the councilman could run for reelection unopposed.

His tip-off that something was amiss: While Farley and a friend circulated nominating petitions to get a portion of the 750 signatures needed, they heard of no one else in the district doing the same.

Off the ballot

He turned his petitions over to the elder Stack. They were later filed, along with other petitions gathered by the ward leader. Soon, however, word got back that O'Neill allies were going to challenge the validity of the signatures in court.

Stack pressed Farley to withdraw as a candidate before the legal challenge could go forward. At first, he agreed. Then he changed his mind.

He showed up for his hearing. The judge ruled that a number of signatures on the petitions were invalid. He was removed from the ballot.

Farley had quit his job with the post office to run against O'Neill. Now he was out of work and off the ballot, and he felt tainted by all the talk about phony signatures.

He complained to the District Attorney's Office, which passed the case off to the attorney general.

According to the grand jury report, the petitions handled by the elder Stack were a "kitchen-table job," to use political jargon.

They were allegedly filled out by the accused, sitting around a table, forging the signatures of registered voters from voting lists. Three out of 10 of the signatures on the Farley petitions were fraudulent, the attorney general said.

Pappert said the prosecution was significant because "... when you corrupt the very beginning of the election process, you corrupt the entire process."

Somebody say amen.

---

Tom Ferrick's column runs Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Contact him at 215-854-2714 or tferrick@phillynews.com.

[longtermmemmory]

FL has a HUGE fraud problem. Especially urban areas.

[BooBoo1000]

So why shouldn't the Dems continue to operate as they have for the last 100 years. Nothing ever happens to them, and why should they take any notice of this nothing letter.

[kenth]

How do democrats spell crime?

S-O-P

[BenLurkin]

Five million might be a litle high, but yes, election fraud was the only reason the election was as close as it was. (That and the last minute drunk driving smear)

[baseballmom]

Well, this is a nice bone. The dimocrat candidate will still win Philly by about 102%. They take their voting very seriously in Philly; those patriots- living and dead - turn out in droves on election day.

[185JHP]

If Cali voting doesn't require a govt. issued picture ID (read that here on FR, haven't personally confirmed it), I could see 1 Million bogus votes just in Cali. FReegards and thanks.

[Stultis]

The Philidelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/cities_neighborhoods/philadelphia/8041909.htm

Posted on Thu, Feb. 26, 2004

3 charged with forging petition names
The trio of Democrats allegedly added signatures to papers filed by a candidate for City Council.
By Larry Eichel
Inquirer Staff Writer

Three Democratic politicians from Northeast Philadelphia, including a veteran ward leader, face criminal charges for allegedly having forged signatures on nominating petitions for a City Council candidate last year.

Charged were Michael Stack Jr., 76, leader of the 58th Ward, and James McGinley, 65, and Arline Petroff, 69, both members of the party's ward committee.

All three could face fines and possible imprisonment if convicted. None could be reached for comment yesterday.

In a telephone interview, Stack's son, State Sen. Michael Stack 3d (D., Phila.), would not talk about the case but expressed love and support for his father.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Jerry Pappert announced the charges at a news conference, saying that the prosecution was significant "because, in my view, when you corrupt the very beginning of the electoral and political process, you corrupt the entire process."

The charges, recommended by a state grand jury in Harrisburg, include felony counts of forgery, conspiracy, and tampering with public records and misdemeanor counts of perjury, false signatures and false swearing.

These allegations stem from the case of John Farley, a 37-year-old former postal worker who had been endorsed by Democratic leaders last year to run against City Councilman Brian J. O'Neill, a Republican, in the Northeast's 10th District.

Last March, a few days before the filing deadline for candidates, Farley brought several pages of nominating petitions to Stack's home, according to the grand jury's presentment. Those pages, Pappert said, did not include enough signatures - 750 were required - to get Farley onto the primary ballot.

In the course of the next two days, the grand jury alleges, Stack, McGinley and Petroff brought the number of signatures up to 810 by forging the signatures of 244 bona fide Democratic voters. A handwriting expert determined that large groups of signatures on the petitions had been written in the same three hands.

Some of the individuals whose signatures were forged told investigators that they had been out of the area at the time. Others had been hospitalized; three were deceased.

The possibility that crimes had been committed in connection with Farley's petitions came to light a week later, when O'Neill's allies challenged the validity of the papers in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.

Before the challenge could be heard, Stack asked Farley to terminate his candidacy, telling Farley, the grand jury reported, that dropping out would "save embarrassment" for the candidate and the Democratic Party.

But Farley, who by then was aware of the forgeries, refused to do so, guaranteeing that the apparent fraud - of which he considered himself a victim - would be revealed in court. His name was removed from the ballot by Common Pleas Court Judge Allan L. Tereshko in response to a Republican challenge.

Farley said at the time that he had come to believe that Stack had intended from the outset to short-circuit his candidacy as part of a political deal with the Republicans.

Farley took the matter to Philadelphia's district attorney, Democrat Lynne M. Abraham. She referred it to the Attorney General's Office, citing a potential conflict of interest on her part due to her relationship with the local party.

Pappert said that his office would prosecute the case in the Philadelphia courts and that he did not expect anyone else to be charged.

Farley, who now works for the Philadelphia Parking Authority, said last night that the charges spoke for themselves.

---

Contact staff writer Larry Eichel at 215-854-2415 or leichel@phillynews.com.

[goldensky]

Republicans reminded Democrats don't care and will scream racism if necessary.

[denydenydeny]

Mayor Street will find a way to inject the race card into this, somehow.

[MediaMole]

What gets me is how groups like the Electronic Freedom Foundation who are against electronic voting machines are always spouting off about potential Republican vote fraud. They keep talking about the Georgia Governor's race where the RAT was ahead in the polls, but unexpectedly lost.

Maybe the electronic voting machines make RAT vote fraud harder and reduce the huge levels of fraud.

[weegee]

No one ever gets prosecuted for vote fraud or FEC violations. It's like perjury, it's a private matter.

When the election is over, just "MoveOn"...< /sarcasm >