A Nevada couple, who previously lived in West St. Paul, are facing federal charges for filing fraudulent voter registration applications.
Lorraine Lee Combs and Ronnie Williams, aka Michael Gibson, have both been charged with conspiracy to engage in voter registration fraud.
According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, the two are accused of filling out voter registration forms with fake names, addresses, dates of birth and social security numbers.
They’d then sign and certify them, and take them to a foundation, which is unnamed in the complaint, who would pay Williams for them. The two would then split the money.
The foundation would turn in those registrations to county election offices across Minnesota, according to the U.S. Attorney General Minnesota office.
The complaint says the pair did this between 2021 and 2022. It lists two of the false names they made for the applications, which were “Brad Montly” and “Harry Jhonson.”
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says his office, along with local election officials, worked with the FBI. He says local election officials spotted the inconsistencies in the applications and contacted authorities.
“Minnesota’s elections are free, fair, and secure — and these charges reinforce that fact. These charges prove that our systems work,” Simon said in a statement. “The extensive checks in Minnesota’s voter registration process ensured that the fraudulent applications were immediately flagged, and no ineligible votes were cast.”
The U.S. Attorney General’s Minnesota office said that the two could face up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
“Election fraud strikes at the heart of our democracy,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson, in a statement. “Thankfully, the FBI stopped this fraud in its tracks, before anyone successfully cast a fraudulent ballot. But we will stay vigilant. Whether it's jury bribery, witness tampering, or now election fraud — crimes that threaten our democracy have no place in Minnesota.”
The US Attorney General's office says Williams is expected for an arraignment and change of please hearing on July 8.
Williams and Combs could not be reached for comment.
