Republican operative accused of election fraud in North Carolina to face federal charges

[turbinetree]

Source: American Independent

By Associated Press -April 22, 2020 9:31 AM

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr. is accused of ballot fraud in a 2018 House race in North Carolina.

The political operative already accused in state court of absentee ballot fraud during a 2018 North Carolina congressional election now faces federal charges of fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits while getting paid for political work, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 64, of Bladen County, was indicted April 7 by a federal grand jury on four counts and faces a first court appearance on May 11 in Wilmington, according to court documents.

The indictment, unsealed this week, accuses Dowless of concealing from the Social Security Administration over $100,000 he was paid for work performed for at least two candidates during the 2018 election. This alleged deception resulted in Dowless receiving more than $14,000 in disability and supplemental benefits above what he was actually entitled, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh announced. Dowless was approved to receive supplemental benefits based on a disabling condition in 2013, the indictment said.

Dowless has been at the center of a state elections and criminal investigation probe into illegal ballot "harvesting" in the 9th Congressional District campaign. Dowless and others were indicted in state court in 2019. The 2018 congressional election was ultimately rerun last September.

Read more: https://americanindependent.com/leslie-mccrae-dowless-north-carolina-gop-election-fraud-federal-charges-2018-midterms/

[DURHAM D]

1. Good nt

[Major Nikon]

2. GOP hires convicted felon to collect absentee ballots

I’m sure they were shocked to learn of his illegal activities

[onetexan]

12. LOL

[Frustratedlady]

3. Trump has told me several times that it is the Democrats that cheat w/absentee voting.

Last edited Wed Apr 22, 2020, 11:41 AM - Edit history (1)

I'm sure that's what he said...

I kept arguing that the only people I saw being charged for voter fraud were Repukes, but he insisted he was right.

[Igel]

7. "I saw."

That's part of the problem.

What this guy was doing in NC was illegal. If he'd been in TX or a number of other states, it would have been legal--in TX, where it was legal, there were people who were openly partisan going around "harvesting ballots". It was a trivial scandal in a big state.

And that particular practice or something very similar to it is what a lot of people are arguing should be the standard this fall.

Then the question is whether we accept that it's a perfectly okay thing to do--meaning that the NC case is fairly meaningless, an instance of a state making illegal something that shouldn't be, or we have to say that the NC case is about something meaningful and the national calls for revising "best practices" are wrong.

[Frustratedlady]

8. I forgot to add the "sarcasm" thingy! Sorry!

[bluevoter4life]

4. Fat Nixon will pardon him. n/t

[ffr]

5. Add this schuck to tRump's pardon list of deporables.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Iceberg scapegoat

They never catch the really big crooks

[Roy Rolling]

9. Tip of Corruption

Just a scapegoat for the rest of the criminals, but hiding $100,000 of income while on Social Security Disability is disgraceful. After a long fight with a lifelong debilitating disease I finally applied for disability when I could barely walk and move anymore. Still, I have to report And am audited on whatever measly income I can scrape up to ensure I am not running a scam and still actually disabled. If they caught this guy, they are doing their job.

These guys are the “I got bone spurs” crowd sucking SS dry.

[MFGsunny]

10. A good start in cleaning out the sewage that repukes have made regarding voter suppression. n/t

[Hulk]

11. Interesting congressional district...

repuKKKes have held control since 1953. They currently hold control. The current US rep, harris, won by 50.8% of the vote.

Just an interesting district. Would be great if Democrats could take it in 2020.

[Gothmog]

13. Lock this asshole up

[soldierant]

14. "To face federal charges" used to mean something.

Now, with William Barr as AG, it doesn't mean much at all, if you are a Republican, no matter what you did. If fact, the higher profile, the safer you are.