A Mail Carrier Took People's Absentee Ballot Requests And Switched Their Party To Republican
Thomas Cooper of West Virginia is facing eight years in federal prison.
www.buzzfeednews.com
A West Virginia mail carrier is facing prison time after admitting he attempted election fraud by changing the party registrations of people who had requested absentee ballotsfor the state's June primary, officials announced Thursday.
Thomas Cooper, 47, of Dry Fork signed an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to defraud the residents of West Virginia of a fair election and one count of injury to the mail.
In a May 26 criminal complaint, prosecutors detailed how the Clerk of Pendleton County discovered the eight 2020 primary election COVID-19 mail-in absentee requests appeared to have been altered using a black pen.
When investigators met with Cooper in late April, he admitted to changing some of the ballots.
"[I did it] as a joke," he said, according to the complaint. " don't even know them."
Cooper faces up to eight years in prison, although prosecutors have agreed as part of the plea deal to call for a reduced sentence.
Cooper attorney Scott Curnutte told BuzzFeed News his client had engaged in a "silly lark."
"He is deeply sorry for the implications for our democratic process," Curnutte said. "It should be remembered, however, that the mail he altered were requests for ballots, not ballots themselves."