Five Convicted of Election Fraud in East St. Louis

Five defendants, including the chairman of the Democratic party in East St. Louis, IL, Charles Powell, Jr., were convicted of conspiracy and vote fraud for offering voters small amounts of cash, cigarettes, and liquor to vote in the 2004 Presidential election.  The other defendants were a former director of regulatory affairs for the city, and three Democratic precinct committee members.  In March, four other precinct committee members entered guilty pleas and cooperated in the prosecution (see U.S. Attorney's Office press release here).  The prosecution relied on tape recordings that included Powell discussing paying $5 per vote.  An AP story (here) discusses the guilty verdict. (ph)