Down Go Democrats: Ex Philadelphia Congressman Sentenced to 3 years in Jail for Bribery and Ballot Stuffing

Former United States of America Congressman and Philadelphia’s political operative has just pleaded guilty to election fraud charges brought against him. United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams Announced today that former US Congression Michael “Ozzie” Myers, 79, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records, and conspiracy to illegally vote in a federal election.

As well as orchestrating schemes to fraudulently stuff the ballot boxes for specific democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Pennsylvania elections. A specific example is when Myers admitted in court to driving the judge of elections in South Philadelphia, Dominick J. Demuro, and a fraudulent scheme over several years.

Judge Dominic Demuro, who was charged separately from Judge Myers also had pleaded guilty, would certify fraudulent voting machine receipts as valid after adding fake votes for various candidates for Democrats as well who had hired Myers for so-called consultancy services in Pennsylvania.

Demuro had accepted multiple payments between $300 and $5,000 to pump up the votes for Democrat candidates running for various federal, state, and local elected offices, including multiple judicial positions.

Myers would drive up to another judge of elections, Marie Barron, to a South Philadelphia polling place every single election day, instructing her on which candidate should get how much of a fraudulent boost.

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. Even if one vote has been illegally cast or if the integrity of just one election official is compromised, it diminishes faith in the process,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “Votes are not things to be purchased and democracy is not for sale. If you are a political consultant, election official, or work with the polling places in any way,I urge you to do your job honestly and faithfully. That is what the public deserves and what the federal government will enforce.”

When the initial charges were brought up in 2020 U.S. Attorney William McSwain did not say whether the alleged vote tampering had changed the outcome of any of the elections that had taken place. In the year 2014, McSwain said, Demuro added 27 votes to his total tally. In 2015, he had allegedly added 40, and in 2016 he allegedly added 46 total votes.

Overall a relatively small number of ballots were cast at Demuro’s polling place. The fraudulent ballots made up 22%, 15%, and 17% of all the votes respectively. Myers was Just one among multiple other officials convicted in the FBI’s Abscam sting, Which ended his four-year career in which he represented Pennsylvania’s first congressional district in 1980.

Myers was one of many elected officials that were investigated and ultimately charged in the sting, but he did provide one of the most famous quotes in the whole investigation when he offered a bribe by FBI agents posing as representatives of an Arab sheik. “Money talks and B.S. walks”.

His official sentencing was 3 years in prison for accepting the bribe and his colleagues in the US House of Representatives voted to expel him from the body itself.