Former ACORN Worker Found Guilty of Election Fraud

MILWAUKEE – Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that Maria Miles, a former ACORN worker, pleaded guilty to and was convicted of one count of election fraud – falsely procuring voter registration, arising out of the November 4, 2008, Presidential Election. Miles was charged by the Election Fraud Task Force, a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Milwaukee District Attorney's Office and the Milwaukee Police Department.

According to the criminal complaint, Miles served as a Special Registration Deputy (“SRD”) for the City of Milwaukee in advance of the 2008 Presidential Election and worked for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”). By entering a plea of guilty today, Miles admitted to submitting multiple voter registration applications for the same individuals, and also being part of a scheme in which she and other SRDs registered each other to vote multiple times in order to meet voter registration quotas imposed by ACORN.

Miles is charged in the same complaint as Kevin Clancy, also a former ACORN worker. Clancy's case is scheduled for a guilty plea hearing on September 22, 2010, at 8:30 a.m.

The charge against Miles, a Class I felony, carries a potential penalty of imprisonment up to 3 ½ years and a $10,000 fine. She is scheduled to be sentenced on October 15, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Richard Sankovitz.

Prior to the November 2008 election, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced the creation of the Election Fraud Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional action team that evaluates, investigates and prosecutes complaints of electoral fraud. The Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office work cooperatively with local law enforcement and the Milwaukee Police Department as needed when investigation is required.

Assistant Attorney General David W. Maas is representing the State.