CNN
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Expelled former Democratic congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for federal election fraud courting again to 2014, the Justice Division mentioned Tuesday, and was instantly taken into custody.
Myers, 79, pleaded responsible in June to conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting information, and conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election as a part of scams to stuff poll packing containers for sure Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania elections between 2014 and 2018, the DOJ mentioned in a information launch.
Prosecutors mentioned a number of the candidates have been operating to be judges and had employed Myers, who would use parts of “consulting charges” from his shoppers to pay others to intervene with election outcomes.
Myers, who had been expelled from Congress in 1980 and served time in jail after taking bribes from an undercover FBI agent as a part of the ABSCAM investigation, was additionally sentenced Tuesday to a few years of supervision upon launch and ordered to pay $100,000 in fines, the press launch mentioned.
CNN has reached out to an lawyer for Myers for remark.
“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. If even one vote has been illegally forged or if the integrity of only one election official is compromised, it diminishes religion in course of,” US Legal professional Jacqueline Romero mentioned in a press release.
“This defendant used his place, information of the method, and connections to repair elections for his most popular candidates, which demonstrates a really flagrant disregard for the legal guidelines which govern our elections. He’ll now spend 30 months in jail as penalty for his crimes.”
That message was echoed by Jacqueline Maguire, the particular agent in control of the FBI’s Philadelphia division. “Defending the legitimacy of elections is crucial to making sure the general public’s belief within the course of,” she mentioned.
“By means of his actions, Ozzie Myers pointedly disdained each the need of Philadelphia voters and the rule of legislation. He’s now a federal felon twice over, heading again behind bars, with time to think about the good consequence of free and truthful elections,” Maguire added.