Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) – A Bernalillo County man and resident of Tijeras, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of fraudulent voting.
According to court documents, in October 2024, 62-year old Patrick H. Perea, attempted to cast his deceased wife’s absentee ballot in the November 2024 general election by submitting it to the Bureau of Elections of the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office in Albuquerque. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement Friday.
If convicted, Perea faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
“Dead people can’t vote” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said. “Casting a ballot that belongs to someone else is a deliberate abuse of our election process and a federal crime. Election integrity depends on protecting the process from fraud and ensuring that unlawful votes do not dilute the votes of legitimate voters. If you try to vote for another person, you will be caught and we will prosecute.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case.
