Second defendant pleads guilty in Minnesota voter fraud case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The second of two defendants from Nevada who were charged in Minnesota with conspiracy to commit voter registration fraud pleaded guilty Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced.

Ronnie Williams, 58, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino in St. Paul. Court records don’t say whether there was a formal plea agreement.

“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said in a statement. “Any attempt to undermine that process through fraud will be investigated and prosecuted. This case sends a clear message — election fraud will not be tolerated in Minnesota.”

Williams’ co-defendant, Lorraine Lee Combs, 57, pleaded guilty June 24. Under her plea agreement, the prosecution and defense agreed that the nonbinding federal sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence of zero to six months in prison, with one to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $20,000.

The actual sentences will be determined by the judge. The charges carry statutory maximums of five years in prison. Sentencing dates have not been set. Both defendants will remain free in the meantime.

Williams and Combs allegedly generated fictitious names and other data they used to fill out Minnesota voter registration forms in 2021 and 2022. The charging documents filed last month say Williams provided the completed forms to an entity that sought to register voters in Minnesota that is identified only as “Foundation 1,” which paid him, and that he then split the proceeds with Combs.

Combs and Williams were longtime romantic partners, according to the documents, which don’t say how much they were paid. The documents also indicate that others were involved in the alleged conspiracy, but charges against them have not been announced.

While voter fraud does happen occasionally, the country’s processes provide many safeguards that generally keep it detectable and rare. When it happens, it tends to get caught and prosecuted.

“The extensive checks in Minnesota’s voter registration process ensured that the fraudulent applications were immediately flagged, and no ineligible votes were cast,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement when the charges were announced.

The announcements from prosecutors said the two are Nevada residents who formerly lived in Minnesota. The federal court documents don’t specify which cities, but Minnesota court records show they were evicted from a West St. Paul apartment building in 2023.