NH Man Pleads Guilty to Voter Fraud

SALEM, NH - A man accused of voter fraud earlier this year has pled guilty to the charge, was fined, lost his right to vote, and received a suspended sentence, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.

Derek T. Castonguay, 43, of Caron Street in Manchester, pled guilty in 10th Circuit Court in Salem on Jan. 15, 2016, on the single voter fraud charge.

Back on Nov. 4, 2014, Castonguay “knowingly made a false material statement regarding his qualifications to vote in the town of Salem,” according to the NH AG. He stated that he lived at 11 Alfred Drive in Salem when he actually lived in Manchester. He then voted again in Windham, presenting his license, with a previous address – 44 Range Road – where he once lived, even though he knew that he no longer lived at the address.

Castonguay could have been sentenced to 12 months in jail and a $2,000 find in the case but instead, was given a suspended sentence. He was fined $1,000 along with a 24 percent penalty assessment.

Now convicted of willful violation of state election law, Castonguay has lost his right to vote under the New Hampshire Constitution, Part I, Article II, according to Stephen LaBonte, an assistant attorney general. The provision states, “No person shall have the right to vote under the constitution of this state who has been convicted of treason, bribery or any willful violation of the election laws of this state or of the United States; but the supreme court may, on notice to the attorney general, restore the privilege to vote to any person who may have forfeited it by conviction of such offenses.”

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated and corrected.