Nevada resident pleads guilty to voter fraud in Minnesota

A Nevada man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit voter registration fraud in Minnesota. 

Ronnie Williams, 58, admitted in court last week to helping create fake identities and using them to fill out voter registration forms between 2021 and 2022.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced the plea, explaining Williams signed each voter form even though he knew it was illegal and the forms contained a warning that submitting false information is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Court records show Williams submitted the fake applications to a Minnesota group called Foundation 1, which focuses on voter registration drives, Alpha News reports. Foundation 1 then passed the applications along to county election offices. Williams received payment for each registration he submitted and shared a portion of the money with his co-conspirator.

Williams and his co-defendant, 57-year-old Lorraine Lee Combs, were both charged last month. The state’s voter registration system caught the fraudulent forms quickly, and no ineligible votes were cast, said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

Combs pleaded guilty on June 24.

The Department of Justice will continue to take voter fraud seriously, acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said.

“Today’s guilty plea underscores our commitment to protecting the integrity of the electoral process,” Thompson said. “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. Any attempt to undermine that process through fraud will be investigated and prosecuted. This case sends a clear message – election fraud will not be tolerated in Minnesota.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not confirmed how many fake registrations were submitted, though Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said more than 500 registrations were submitted. Prosecutors say the case involved a wider conspiracy relying on made-up identities and false personal information. 

Williams will be sentenced at a later date. He faces up to five years in federal prison.