Mount Clemens, Mich. — Two men identified by prosecutors as the ringleaders of a widespread signature fraud scheme that blocked multiple judicial and gubernatorial candidates from appearing on Michigan’s August 2022 primary ballot will be sentenced next month, following a jury verdict finding them guilty of forging citizen signatures.
The jury concluded that the defendants orchestrated a coordinated operation to submit fraudulent nominating petitions, using forged names and falsified voter information to satisfy Michigan’s ballot-access requirements. The scheme ultimately led to the disqualification of several candidates after election officials determined that thousands of petition signatures were invalid.
According to prosecutors, the fraud was not accidental or isolated. Investigators uncovered repeated handwriting patterns, duplicate signatures across multiple petitions, and signatures attributed to voters who testified under oath that they never signed the documents. Some signatures were linked to individuals who were deceased or no longer registered to vote in Michigan.
The fraudulent petitions triggered alarm within the Secretary of State’s office due to unusually high rejection rates. A broader investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s office revealed a centralized operation involving paid circulators and mass forgery, rather than simple clerical errors.
Because the fraudulent signatures were intermingled with legitimate ones, courts ruled that entire petition submissions had to be invalidated, resulting in the removal of multiple candidates from the primary ballot. Judges later affirmed those decisions, citing the scale of the fraud and the impossibility of separating valid signatures from forged ones.
During trial, prosecutors described the scheme as a direct assault on democratic access, arguing it manipulated the electoral process by deciding who voters were allowed to choose before any votes were cast.
“This case was about gatekeeping democracy through fraud,” prosecutors told jurors. “The defendants didn’t just break the law — they distorted the election itself.”
Defense attorneys argued their clients were unaware of the forgeries and blamed individual petition circulators. The jury rejected that defense, finding the evidence showed leadership, coordination, and intent.
The men now face potential prison sentences, fines, and election-related penalties. Sentencing is scheduled for next month in Macomb County Circuit Court.
State officials say the case has already prompted increased scrutiny of nominating petitions and reinforced the consequences of election-related fraud.
As sentencing approaches, the case stands as one of Michigan’s most consequential election integrity prosecutions — not for altering vote totals, but for corrupting the process that determines which candidates voters are allowed to see on the ballot.
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