Posted on 10/17/2002 12:44:33 PM PDT by Lyford
COATES, Minn. (AP) - Prosecutors charged 95 people with forgery Wednesday for an alleged scheme in which they all registered to vote using the same address: a strip club recently shut down by city officials.
Most of the alleged forgers lived outside the town. The scheme, in which the club's owner also was charged, could have given club supporters a political majority in the town of 163 people. The mayor and two council members are in contested races next month in Coates, where 79 voted in the 2000 general election.
"It's shocking to see such a blatant attempt to undermine the most fundamental pillar of our democracy - our right to vote," Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said.
Club owner Richard J. Jacobson, 32, of Prescott, Wis., was charged with conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit unlawful voting for allegedly orchestrating the scheme. The other 94 were charged with forgery and conspiracy to commit forgery. All the charges are felonies, and each carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Backstrom said he believed some of the defendants were employees at the club, called Jake's, but thought most were customers who might have been duped into signing the registration cards.
A federal judge ordered Jake's closed last week for violating the city's law regulating sexually oriented businesses.
Reached at the club, Jacobson declined to comment.
His attorney, Randall Tigue, said under Minnesota law county auditors are supposed to notify people believed to be registered improperly. It's fraud only if those people then try to vote.
"I think that it is real clear that no crime has been committed," he said.
Coates is about 15 miles south of St. Paul.
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Randall Tigue, said under Minnesota law It's fraud only if those people then try to vote.
"I think that it is real clear that no crime has been committed," he said.
There are several crimes involved...
-forgery
conspiracy to commit forgery
-conspiracy to commit voter fraud
I want to see someone go to jail
Voter Fraud in: NJ, FL, SD, MN, Iowa (Harkin). Please help add to my list. It would make a great sign pre-election to take to a rally listing the states where the dems committed voter fraud using just the state's initials and the words DEM VOTER FRAUD ALERT.
FRiend, if you'll flag me on these stories, I will add them to the mass emails I send daily to about 50 editors & "opinionators"- like Rush and Hannity.
Paging RonDog, but please tell Hugh not to repeat that Wellstone promise. I barely survived "Wellstone" day. (^:
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