Guilty Plea Entered in 2024 St. Joseph County Candidate Petition Forgery Case: Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales Addresses Importance of Election Law Enforcement

Office of Indiana Secretary of StateDiegoMorales

200 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46204

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 29, 2025

Guilty Plea Entered in 2024 St. Joseph County

Candidate Petition Forgery Case: Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales Addresses Importance of Election Law Enforcement

ST. JOSEPH- (December 29, 2025) -The Office of the Indiana Secretary of State acknowledges recent developments in the 2024 St. Joseph County candidate petition signature fraud matter, where a 27-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to forging voter signatures on candidate ballot petitions - an election offense charged as a Level 6 felony.

In February 2024, the St. Joseph County Election and Voter Registration Office spotted irregularities in a set of 530 voter signatures submitted in support of placing a presidential candidate on the May 2024 primary ballot. Following a detailed verification process with the Indiana Statewide Voter Registration System, only 19 of those signatures were validated as legitimate.

At a recent pre-trial hearing, the defendant entered a plea of guilty to counterfeiting charges related to knowingly submitting forged voter signatures.

Secretary Morales noted that this is the second such candidate petition fraud violation from St. Joseph County in recent memory, underscoring the importance of vigilance and enforcement.

"In the prior instance of petition fraud in St. Jospeh County, the misconduct was significant enough to impact the Democratic presidential primary, in which Barack Obama was nominated in Indiana. Ensuring the integrity of our election system is a fundamental responsibility of my office. This guilty plea underscores that disregarding our election laws will be pursued vigorously and violators will be held accountable under Indiana law. We commend the diligence of local election officials and law enforcement partners whose efforts brought this case to light," said Diego Morales, Indiana Secretary of State.

Said Amy Rolfes, St. Joseph County Clerk: "When I ran for Clerk, election integrity was my #1 promise to the voters. In Saint Joseph County, election fraud is not a conspiracy theory. It is real. I want to commend my team for their attention to detail in all aspects of the election process, which led to the detection of this fraud."

The Secretary of State's Office continues to work closely with county election authorities and the Indiana State Police to pursue investigations that protect Hoosier voters and uphold public confidence in the electoral process.

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Media Contact - Lindsey Eaton 317.775.8909 or [email protected]