Philly Elections Judge Pleads Guilty to Stuffing Ballot Boxes for Bribes

A Democratic elections judge in Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty to taking bribes to stuff ballot boxes, newly unsealed court documents show.

Domenick J. DeMuro, a former judge of elections and Democratic committeeman in Philadelphia, took thousands of dollars from a political consultant to cast fraudulent ballots and certify phony returns, according to the indictment.

DeMuro pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deprive persons of civil rights and one count of using interstate facilities in aid of bribery in a federal court on March 16.

The guilty plea comes as President Donald Trump is escalating attacks on balloting alternatives like vote-by-mail. Some states, including battlegrounds like Michigan, are discouraging in-person voting due to the coronavirus pandemic and sending voters unsolicited ballot applications. The president claims vote-by-mail is rife with fraud—though those charges are contested by elections experts—and has threatened to withhold funds from states that use such a system.

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