Workers Are Sentenced in Vote Fraud Case

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 01/30/2006 | Jim Suhr

[GeneD]

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A former Democratic election worker in this impoverished city was sentenced Monday to a year and a half in federal prison for scheming to buy votes in the November 2004 election. A City Hall volunteer also accused in the scheme was given probation.

U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy said the case reflected an American election process "under attack" by fraud.

Former precinct committee member Sheila Thomas and her attorney, Paul Sims, declined to comment after the sentencing. Yvette Johnson told reporters: "I'm just glad that it's over."

The two were convicted last year of felony conspiracy to commit vote fraud, along with a local Democratic Party chairman, a former city official and another precinct worker who are expected to be sentenced in February.

Prosecutors said the defendants schemed to buy votes with cash, cigarettes and liquor. Their case rested largely on secretly recorded audiotapes in which the defendants could be heard talking about paying $2, $5 or more per vote to get key Democrats elected in East St. Louis.

The city of 31,500 people, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, became one of the nation's poorest cities with the decline of its smokestack factories and the exodus of whites in the 1960s. Its schools were broke for years and the deed to City Hall once went to a man to cover a multimillion-dollar judgment over a jail beating.

[wallcrawlr]

year and a half...just in time for the 2008 next election when theyll be needed again.

[fhlh]

Dems cheating? say it isn't so????

It's amazing how a party that claims the American people are behind them, has to cheat to get votes...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We need a few more prosecutions like this one.

[atomicpossum]

Its schools were broke for years

What kind of English do perfessional jernilists get away with nowadays?

[martin_fierro]

DEMOCRAT CULTURE OF CURRUPTION

[martin_fierro]

CURRUPTION = CORRUPTION

feh.

< |:P~

[ncountylee]

City Hall volunteer also accused in the scheme was given probation.

Not even a wrist slap...more like a gentle wrist pat.

[garyhope]

These wouldn't all be "Democrats" would they?

Nah,....couldn't happen, The Demo-crits wouldn't engage in voting fraud would they? They believe in "Democracy". They wouldn't lie, cheat or steal.

[Jeff Chandler]

What kind of English do perfessional jernilists get away with nowadays?

If they were any worse they could become pblik skul techurs.

[smoothsailing]

This must be what Harry Reid is talking about when he brings up "A Culture of Corruption".

[fuquadukie]

A former Democratic election worker in this impoverished city was sentenced Monday to a year and a half in federal prison for scheming to buy votes in the November 2004 election.

Well... what the heck does living in an impoverished city have to do with the story? Huh? What if the culprit lived in Palm Beach? Acquittal? Forgiveness? Talk about editorializing. ('Course, I would have expected living in an impoverished city would have been a reason for acquittal. /sarcasm)

[newgeezer]

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - ... this impoverished city ... became one of the nation's poorest cities with the decline of its smokestack factories and the exodus of whites in the 1960s.

What about the strip joints? In my wasted youth, a bunch of us would roadtrip to a Cardinals game or two, always spending at least one night in E. St. Louis. "A stunning display of beauty" we used to call it.

[massgopguy]

You wouldn't see Hamas doing this.

[Rakkasan1]

in this impoverished city that people like us helped create with our liberal idiocy, jackass policies,re-electing corrupt politicians and wrist slappin',monkey-spankin' judges.

[OldFriend]

They ought to have written.......morally impoverished.....

[grantgarvey]

whish I owned city hall

[newgeezer]

Okay, I give up. What's wrong with, "Its schools were broke for years"?

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[Kidan]

Oh come on, we all know the Republicans stole the 2004 elections....

</sarcasm>