ALBUQUERQUE – A resident of Tijeras, New Mexico, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of fraudulent voting.
According to court documents, in October 2024, Patrick H. Perea , 62, 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. 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.”
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 today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Federal prosecutors commended the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office Bureau of Elections for its critical role in intercepting the ballot before it could be counted and assisting this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean J. Sullivan and Emil J. Kiehne are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — New Mexico — U.S. Department of Justice press release.