Voter Fraud Convictions in Louisiana, 2016-2020

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	A. Conviction Details	B. Background	C. Potential Election Impact
1.	Election Year: 2020 Name: Emmanuel Zanders III Party Affiliation: Democrat[1]Law Officer, “Democrat Politician Arrested for Election Fraud,” lawofficer.com, January 15, 2021 Offense and Sentencing: Emmanuel Zanders III pleaded guilty on 7/12/2021 to one misdemeanor count of election fraud, reduced from eight felony charges as part of a plea deal.[2]James Finn, “Amite City Councilman Takes Plea Deal in Election Fraud Case, Will Get One Misdemeanor,” theadvocate.com, July 12, 2021 Councilman Zanders agreed to resign his seat on the Amite City council as part of his plea agreement.[3]James Finn, “Amite City Councilman Takes Plea Deal in Election Fraud Case, Will Get One Misdemeanor,” theadvocate.com, July 12, 2021 Sentencing was set for July 28, 2021[4]James Finn, “Amite City Councilman Takes Plea Deal in Election Fraud Case, Will Get One Misdemeanor,” theadvocate.com, July 12, 2021 but as of September 2022, no information has been found.	“Emmanuel Zanders III, an eight-year District 3 councilman and former Amite City Mayor Pro Tem,… initially faced eight felony counts of violating Louisiana’s election integrity laws. … The Tangipahoa Parish Registrar of Voters contacted the Secretary of State’s office in October after noticing some voter registration forms had been submitted with fraudulent addresses. … Investigators from the attorney general’s office later found two addresses for separate, vacant lots in Amite’s District 3 — one had had six people registered to vote and the other had 16 registrants,… [AG Jeff] Landry said Zanders ‘purposefully manipulated citizens,” having them sign their voter registration form before he later filled out the address on his own.'”[5]James Finn, “Amite City Councilman Takes Plea Deal in Election Fraud Case, Will Get One Misdemeanor,” theadvocate.com, July 12, 2021 Case Notes: Case Number: Not Found	Type of Election: Local Council Party Affiliation: Democrat Theoretical Election Effect: No effect on Congressional or Presidential elections
2.	Election Year: 2018 Name: Delores “Dee” Handy Party Affiliation: Not Found[6]According to the Louisiana Voter Registration Application Form, “Party Affiliation – If you are registering for the first time, you may choose a party affiliation of Democrat, Green, … Continue reading Offense and Sentencing: Delores “Dee” Handy was found guilty by a 6-person jury in September 2020 to violation of the Louisiana Election Code Section 1461.7.A.(3) which states: “No person shall knowingly, willfully, or intentionally:… when assisting a voter in voting, fail to mark the ballot or vote in the manner dictated by the voter,” in relation to offenses committed in October 2018.[7]KLFY, “Crowley Woman Convicted on Election Fraud Charge,” klfy.com, September 2, 2020, and Crowley Post-Signal, “Handy Sentenced in Election Fraud Case,” … Continue reading Handy was sentenced in September 2020 to an 11 month suspended sentence in a parish jail, two years of probation, and an $800 fine plus associated court costs.[8]Crowley Post-Signal, “Handy Sentenced in Election Fraud Case,” crowleypostsignal.com, October 1, 2020	“Delores “Dee” Handy, 69, of West Seventh Street, was convicted in Early September for ‘purposely failing to mark an elderly voter’s ballot in the manner dictated by said voter.’ … The first incident occurred on Sept. 6, 2018; the second on Sept. 10, 2018. Both of the victims were elderly women who were casting mail-in ballots in the Nov. 6, 2018, elections, which included a number of municipal races in Crowley.”[9]Crowley Post-Signal, “Handy Sentenced in Election Fraud Case,” crowleypostsignal.com, October 1, 2020 Case Notes: Case was heard in the 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette Parish Case Number: Not Found	Type of Election: Municipal Party Affiliation: Not Found Theoretical Election Effect: No effect on Congressional or Presidential elections
3.	Election Year: 2016 and 2020 Name: Kristian Hart, also known as Kris Hart Party Affiliation: Democrat[10]VoterRecords.com, “Kristian Damon Hart’s Louisiana Voter Registration,” voterrecords.com, accessed on September 14, 2022 Offense and Sentencing: Kristian Hart pleaded guilty on 7/20/2022 “to criminally violating federal election laws as part of a conspiracy to pay, or offer to pay, voters for voting in a federal election” and “three counts of paying and offering to pay voters during both the 2016 and 2020 elections” where Hart was running for his council seat.[11]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 Hart was sentenced to one year of imprisonment on 11/29/2022.[12]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief, City Councilmember, and Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, … Continue reading	“Jerry Trabona, 72, the former Chief of Police in Amite City, and Kristian ‘Kris’ Hart, 49, a current Amite City councilmember, pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay and offering to pay voters residing in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, for voting in the 2016 open primary election and the 2016 open general election. Trabona and Hart admitted that they agreed with each other and others to pay or offer to pay voters during contests in which the defendants were candidates … Hart [also] pleaded guilty to three counts of paying and offering to pay voters during both the 2016 and 2020 elections.”[13]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 Case Notes: United States of America v. Kristian Hart Case Number: 2:21-cr-00153-GGG-KWR Plea Agreement	Type of Election: Local Council Party Affiliation: Democrat Theoretical Election Effect: No effect on Congressional or Presidential elections
4.	Election Year: 2016 Name: Jerry Trabona Party Affiliation: Independent[14]VoterRecords.com, “Jerry J Trabona’s Louisiana Voter Registration,” voterrecords.com, accessed on September 14, 2022 Offense and Sentencing: Jerry Trabona pleaded guilty on 7/20/2022 “to criminally violating federal election laws as part of a conspiracy to pay, or offer to pay, voters for voting in a federal election.”[15]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 Trabona was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and a $10,000 fine on 11/29/2022.[16]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief, City Councilmember, and Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, … Continue reading	“Jerry Trabona, 72, the former Chief of Police in Amite City, and Kristian ‘Kris’ Hart, 49, a current Amite City councilmember, pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay and offering to pay voters residing in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, for voting in the 2016 open primary election and the 2016 open general election. Trabona and Hart admitted that they agreed with each other and others to pay or offer to pay voters during contests in which the defendants were candidates, [Hart ran for his council seat during both the open primary and general elections. Trabona sought reelection to police chief in the open primary] and in which federal candidates appeared on the same ballot.”[17]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 Case Notes: United States of America v. Jerry Trabona Case Number: 2:21-cr-00153-GGG-KWR Plea Agreement	Type of Election: Local Council Party Affiliation: Independent Theoretical Election Effect: No effect on Congressional or Presidential elections
5.	Election Year: 2016 Name: Sidney Smith Party Affiliation: Democrat[18]VoterRecords.com, “Sidney Smith’s Louisiana Voter Registration,” voterrecords.com, accessed on September 14, 2022 Offense and Sentencing: Sidney Smith pleaded guilty on 11/29/2021 to conspiracy to buy votes during the 2016 election.[19]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 No sentencing information available as of September 14, 2022.	“The Department of Justice also announced the guilty pleas of two additional Tangipahoa Parish residents for their involvement in vote buying in Tangipahoa Parish during the 2016 election period: Sidney Smith, 68, of Amite City, and Calvin Batiste, 64, of Independence. … Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lance Africk on Nov. 29, [2021] and Batiste pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman on Dec. 8. [2021] Smith and Batiste both face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.”[20]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 Case Notes: Case Number: Not Found	Type of Election: Local Council Party Affiliation: Democrat Theoretical Election Effect: No effect on Congressional or Presidential elections
6.	Election Year: 2016 Name: Calvin Baptise Party Affiliation: No Voter Record[21]VoterRecords.com, “Calvin Baptiste has 0 Voter Records in Louisiana,” voterrecords.com, accessed on September 14, 2022 Offense and Sentencing: Calvin Baptiste pleaded guilty on 12/8/2021 to conspiracy to buy votes during the 2016 election.[22]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 No sentencing information available as of September 14, 2022.	“The Department of Justice also announced the guilty pleas of two additional Tangipahoa Parish residents for their involvement in vote buying in Tangipahoa Parish during the 2016 election period: Sidney Smith, 68, of Amite City, and Calvin Batiste, 64, of Independence. … Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lance Africk on Nov. 29, [2021] and Batiste pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman on Dec. 8. [2021] Smith and Batiste both face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.”[23]US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, “Former Louisiana Police Chief and City Councilmember Plead Guilty in Vote-Buying Conspiracy,” justice.gov, July 21, 2022 Case Notes: Case Number: Not Found	Type of Election: Local Council Party Affiliation: Not Found Theoretical Election Effect: No effect on Congressional or Presidential elections

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