Macomb County, a hotbed of Trump supporters who often decry voter fraud, has found itself at the center of a real voter fraud case.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday announced felony charges against three assistant clerks and four St. Clair Shores residents who are accused of illegally double voting in the 2024 August primary election.
While Trumpers have long claimed without evidence that voter fraud is rampant, it turns out this case of actual fraud happened right in the heart of Macomb County, a former Democratic stronghold where white angst has spawned a conservative, pro-Trump movement.
Nessel filed the charges after Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido, among the staunchest and most vocal Trump supporters in Michigan, decided not to in August.
The charges stem from allegations that the residents voted twice, and the assistant clerks illegally altered voter records to cover it up.
The four residents — Frank Prezzato, 68; Stacy Kramer, 56; Douglas Kempkins, Jr., 44; and Geneva O’Day, 62 — face charges of voting both absentee and in-person, which is a violation of state election laws. Each resident has been charged with one count of voting absentee and in-person, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, and one count of offering to vote more than once, which carries a maximum penalty of four years.
The three assistant clerks — Patricia Guciardo, 73; Emily McClintock, 42; and Molly Brasure, 31 — are accused of altering the State Qualified Voter File to show that the absentee ballots cast by the four residents were rejected, even though the ballots had been received and counted. This falsification allowed the four residents to cast in-person ballots, which were also counted, resulting in double votes. The assistant clerks face multiple felony charges, including falsifying election returns or records, voting absentee and in-person, and offering to vote more than once.
“Despite common talking points by those who seek to instill doubt in our electoral process, double voting in Michigan is extremely rare,” Nessel, a Democrat, said. “There are procedures in place to ensure this does not happen and that is why it so rarely does. It took a confluence of events and decisions to allow these four people to double vote. Nevertheless, the fact that four incidents occurred in a municipality of this size raised significant concerns and is simply unheard of.”
The alleged fraud came to light when the four residents appeared at polling locations in St. Clair Shores and were informed that their absentee ballots had already been received. Despite warnings in the electronic poll book, which tracks voter data, poll workers were allegedly instructed by the assistant clerks to override the system warnings and issue in-person ballots. Both absentee and in-person ballots were ultimately counted, leading to double voting.
The suspected fraud was reported after the primary election by St. Clair Shores Clerk Abrial Barret, who raised concerns with Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, the St. Clair Shores Police Department, and the state Bureau of Elections.
Nessel said the charges are a reminder of the importance of safeguarding election integrity.
“My office has been committed to pursuing, investigating and, when necessary, charging, cases of election fraud, and have done so when the evidence provides for criminal charges,” Nessel said. “Election integrity matters, and we must take these violations seriously in order to ensure we can trust the results on the other end.”
The defendants have been charged in the 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores, and arraignment dates have yet to be set.
This case marks a rare instance of election fraud involving both voters and election officials in Michigan.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson applauded the charges.
“Voting more than once is illegal,” Benson, a Democrat, said. “Anyone who tries to vote multiple times in an election will get caught and they will be charged.”
