Pennsylvania Judge Pleads Guilty For Taking Bribes In Exchange For Illegally Adding Democratic Votes
Pennsylvania Judge Pleads Guilty For Taking Bribes In Exchange For Illegally Adding Democratic Votes

By Samantha Young

While the rest of the Democratic Party continued to advocate for a nationwide “vote-by-mail” scheme in the upcoming 2020 general elections, former Judge of Elections in Pennsylvania, Domenick DeMuro, 73, had pleaded guilty for illegally adding votes in favor of Democratic candidates, in three separate election seasons between 2014, 2015, and 2016.

In a recent announcement from the Department of Justice (DOJ), DeMuro admitted that he had added additional votes in the ballot box, in exchange for monetary gains from a political consultant who was working for Democratic candidates.

Here is what the DOJ wrote

 United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Domenick J. DeMuro, 73, of Philadelphia, PA, a former Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 36th Division in South Philadelphia, has been charged and has pled guilty to a two-count Information charging (1) conspiracy to deprive Philadelphia voters of their civil rights by fraudulently stuffing the ballot boxes for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections, and (2) a violation of the Travel Act, which forbids the use of any facility in interstate commerce (here, a cell phone) with the intent to promote certain illegal activity (here, bribery). U.S. Attorney McSwain’s video statement providing additional details about this case is available on the Office website here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/video/united-states-attorney-william-m-mcswain-announces-guilty-plea-former-philadelphia.

At that time, DeMuro was assigned to oversee the election process in the 39th Ward. The former judge pleaded guilty to charges of election fraud, and the violation of the Travel Act.
In a statement from the Public Interest Legal Foundation President, Christian Adams, he reaffirmed the administration’s mandate to protect the integrity of the American votes. 
“The Trump administration’s prosecution of election fraud stands in stark contrast to the total failure of the Obama Justice Department to enforce these laws,” Adams said.

He continued by stating that currently, other federal prosecutors have become wary of other election fraud schemes such as double voting and noncitizen voting.
During the indictment, DeMuro testified that the political consultant had received the payments from Democratic candidates, and placed it under “consulting fees.”

The amount which ranged between $300-$5,000 was then directed to the Election Board Officials, including Demuro, as a part of their agreement to illegally add votes to the paying candidates.

Moreover, he had openly admitted that he had stuffed ballot boxes “as fast as he could” while he was standing in the voting booth.

NPR adds:
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court tossed about 4,000 convictions issued by Ciavarella between 2003 and 2008, saying he violated the constitutional rights of the juveniles, including the right to legal counsel and the right to intelligently enter a plea.Ciavarella, 61, was tried and convicted of racketeering charges earlier this year. His attorneys had asked for a “reasonable” sentence in court papers, saying, in effect, that he’s already been punished enough.”The media attention to this matter has exceeded coverage given to many and almost all capital murders, and despite protestation, he will forever be unjustly branded as the ‘Kids for Cash’ judge,” their sentencing memo said.
In another statement from US Attorney William McSwain, he describes it as an “utterly reprehensible conduct. The charges announced today do not erase what he did, but they do ensure that he is held to account for those actions.”
However, Democrats remained undeterred by such cases and even continued to lobby for a nationwide “vote-by-mail” scheme. In fact, Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez even alleged Trump of plotting to “steal the election” by refusing to support the “cheat-by-mail” system.

In an interview for the left-wing media outlet, MSNBC host Chris Hayes claimed that Trump’s conflicting tweets were “nonsense or lies or liable or slander,” and asked the DNC chair on how they can ensure a fair and safe election.
Perez responded that it was their “highest priority” to ensure safe elections, specifically since they expect to see an increase of “voter suppression” in the coming months ahead.

He continued to say how the Republican party is using the pandemic as a way to “suppress votes.”
Hayes then went on to play a clip in which Trump expressed his concern over the fraudulent nature of the “vote-by-mail” scheme. 

Perez defended their stand by saying that they are trying their best to ensure that the American people would have their “fundamental right” to vote, adding that banning the nationwide “vote-by-mail” system is a “desperate effort to steal an election, is going to stop at nothing.”

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