Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - Two former Minnesotans are facing federal voter fraud charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota today announced charges against Ronnie Williams and Lorraine Lee Combs, who both now reside in Nevada. They are accused of participating in a conspiracy to generate fictitious names and information used to complete Minnesota voter registration applications.

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According to court documents, Williams and Combs took the completed voter registration forms to an unnamed foundation that was seeking to register voters in Minnesota. It is alleged the foundation then submitted the false registration applications to county election offices throughout the state.

The Charges Allege and Unnamed Foundation Paid Them For the Bogus Voter Registration Applications

A statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office does not specify how many fraudulent voter registration forms were submitted. The criminal complaint alleges that the unnamed foundation paid Williams for the registrations, and he then split the proceeds with Combs.

“Nothing is more central to our democracy than fair and impartially conducted elections,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Through their actions, Combs and Williams attempted to deprive the citizens of Minnesota of a secure and reliable election process. Along with our partners, the FBI will stop at nothing to identify and bring to justice anyone who threatens the security of our electoral system."

 

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Federal prosecutors say Williams and Combs are charged by information with Conspiracy to Engage in Voter Registration Fraud. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued a statement concerning the voter fraud conspiracy charges.

“For more than two years, Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and local election officials have partnered with the FBI on this investigation. Local election officials used the verification tools built into the Minnesota voter registration system and identified inconsistencies on voter registration forms. Local election officials then immediately reported the inconsistencies to law enforcement and our office.

The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State coordinated with every county election office to ensure that all fraudulent registration attempts would be detected and confirm that no ballots were requested or cast.”

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