Former Philly Congressman Bribed Election Judge For Votes: Feds

PHILADELPHIA — A former United States Congressman from Philadelphia is accused of bribing an election judge to stuff ballot boxes.

United States Attorney William M. McSwain said U.S. Congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers, 77, of Philadelphia, has been charged by indictment with multiple counts, including conspiring to violate voting rights by fraudulently stuffing the ballot boxes for specific Democratic candidates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Pennsylvania primary elections, bribery of an election official, falsification of records, voting more than once in federal elections, and obstruction of justice.

Myers, a Democrat, was elected to Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District in 1976 then was expelled from congress in 1980 as a result of the Abscam sting. He was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $20,000 on bribery and conspiracy charges. Before that, he represented the 184th District in the Pennsylvania State Legislature from 1971 to 1976.

Myers is alleged to have bribed Domenick J. Demuro, who served Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 36th Division in South Philadelphia, over several years to illegally add votes for certain candidates of their mutual political party in primary elections.

If convicted, Myers faces up to 90 years in prison and $2 million in fines.

Demuro, who was charged separately and pleaded guilty in May 2020, was responsible for overseeing the entire election process and all voter activities of his division in accord with federal and state election laws.

The voting machines at each polling station, including in the 39th Ward, 36th Division, generate records in the form of a printed receipt documenting the use of each voting machine.

This printed receipt, also known as the "results receipt," shows the vote totals, and the Judge of Elections and other Election Board Officials at each polling place attest to the accuracy of machine results.

Myers is charged with bribing Demuro to illegally add votes for certain candidates of their mutual political party in primary elections. Some candidates were running for judicial office whose campaigns had hired Myers, and others were candidates for various federal, state, and local elective offices that Myers favored for a variety of reasons, according to federal authorities.

The indictment alleges Myers would solicit payments from his clients in the form of cash or checks as "consulting fees," and then use portions of these funds to pay Demuro and others to tamper with election results.

After being paid $300 to $5,000 per election from Myers, Demuro would add fraudulent votes on the voting machine — also known as “ringing up" votes — for Myers’ clients and preferred candidates, thereby diluting the value of ballots cast by actual voters, authorities said.

At Myers’ direction, Demuro would add these fraudulent votes to the totals during Election Day, and then would later falsely certify that the voting machine results were accurate, according to authorities.

Myers is also accused of directing Demuro to lie to investigators about the circumstances of the bribes and the ballot-stuffing scheme, authorities said.