Former House Rep Pleads Guilty To Ballot-Stuffing For Dems In Five Elections

A former congressman has pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently create votes for Democratic candidates in five different election years. 

Michael “Ozzie” Myers, 79, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records, and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election. 

Myers paid Philadelphia election officials upwards of $5,000 per election to add fraudulent votes on voting machines—a practice called “ringing up” votes—and to falsely certify the voting machine tallies were accurate.  

Carried out in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 elections in Philadelphia, the scheme benefitted candidates for federal, state and local offices, including judicial candidates. According to the FBI, Myers solicited payments from candidates in the form of cash or checks, with some labelled as “consulting fees.”

Nope, sorry, this isn’t possible. I have been reliably informed by the very credible establishment media that Democrats never stuff ballot boxes to steal elections—especially in Pennsylvania! https://t.co/Xx05s8S7Nl

— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 8, 2022

The crime also entailed falsifying polling books and lists of voters by entering names of voters who had not appeared at a given polling station. One of the bribed election officials, Marie Beren, also instructed real voters whom to vote for. 

Myers carefully managed the tally on Election Day, according to the Department of Justice:

During Election Day itself, Myers conferred with Beren via cell phone while she was at the polling station about the number of votes cast for his preferred candidates. Beren would report to Myers how many “legit votes,” meaning actual voters, had appeared at the polls and cast ballots. If actual voter turnout was high, Beren would add fewer fraudulent votes in support of Myers’ preferred candidates.

“Free and fair elections are critical to the health of our democracy,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, “which is why protecting the legitimacy of the electoral process at every level is such a priority for the FBI” (…the bureau’s participation in the election-questioning Russiagate hoax notwithstanding). 

This isn’t Myers’ first brush with the law. In 1980, he was snared in the FBI’s ABSCAM sting. Then a sitting U.S. congressman, Myers was caught on video accepting a $50,000 bribe from undercover agents seeking special immigration accommodations to enable casino investments by fictional Arab sheiks. 

ABSCAM inspired the movie “American Hustle,” but we find the original plenty entertaining: