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A supporter of former President Donald Trump has been jailed in Ohio following his conviction for illegally voting in two elections.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Andrew Santoli on Tuesday convicted lawyer James Saunders, a 55-year-old Trump donor, of two felony counts for voting twice in both the 2020 presidential election and 2022 midterms, according to Cleveland.Com.
Saunders’ attorney Scott Roger Hurley, an assistant public defender, had argued that his client casting votes in both Cuyahoga County and Florida’s Broward County was a mistake, urging the judge to acquit because “accidents do happen.”
Santoli disagreed, while noting that state voting records indicated that Saunders had also voted multiple times in the 2014 and 2016 elections. Charges were not brought for the earlier instances due to the statute of limitations expiring.
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The Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office was also reportedly ordered to submit the results of an investigation into Saunders’ financial status, to determine whether he was eligible for a taxpayer-funded defense.
Saunders was immediately taken into custody following his conviction and is expected to next appear in court for a hearing on Monday, when he could be sentenced to up to three years in prison.
Newsweek reached out for comment to Hurley via email on Tuesday evening.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley told Cleveland.Com that Saunders was the only person known to have voted twice in Cuyahoga County for several years.
“Mr. Saunders is the poster child for voter fraud,” O’Malley said in a statement to NBC affiliate WKYC. “He thought he could outsmart the system, but today’s verdict proves he was wrong.”
“Judge Santoli’s verdict and remanding of this defendant sends a stern message that voter fraud will not be tolerated,” he added.
While Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Rogalski previously told Cleveland.Com that “we don’t know who [Saunders] voted for,” Federal Election Commission records show that he donated to the Trump campaign multiple times over several years.
Saunders was also officially registered as a Republican in Florida, while being listed as unaffiliated in Ohio, according to WKYC.
Trump, the leading GOP candidate in the 2024 presidential campaign as he faces multiple felony charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election result, continues to push claims that his loss to President Joe Biden was “rigged” by massive voter fraud.
No credible evidence that would support Trump’s claims has emerged in over 2 1/2 years since his loss. Verified voter fraud remains exceedingly rare, with the vast majority of recorded charges following the 2020 election involving Trump voters.
Former Trump official Ken Cuccinelli, a supporter of rival GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, told Politico Playbook earlier this month that he believes the former president is in favor of “rigging” elections in his favor.
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