Authorities investigate potential fraud in Hamtramck's 2025 primary election

CBS News

2 days ago

Two Hamtramck City Council members have been arraigned on charges related to alleged fraud in the 2023 election. And now authorities are investigating potential fraud in the Aug. 5 primary election.
CBS News Detroit obtained footage after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to the clerk's office for surveillance camera footage pointed at a ballot box outside City Hall. City officials confirmed to CBS News Detroit that it handed the footage over to Michigan State Police, which is now investigating the potential fraud. MSP declined to comment, but confirmed it is investigating.
Video from July 29 to Aug. 5 showed several individuals dropping off a handful of ballots, including someone in a black Nissan Maxima who made multiple trips. The video showed the person stuffing ballots in the box on each trip in the days leading up to the election. Another person in a red Tesla was also seen making several stops at the box, dropping off a handful of ballots.
Michigan law restricts people from dropping off multiple ballots, unless it was for immediate family members.
On Monday, Councilman Mohammed Hassan, 57, was charged with election law forgery, two counts of unqualified elector attempting to vote, forging a signature on an absentee ballot application and providing a false statement in an application for an absentee ballot.
Fellow Councilman Muhtasin Sadman, 26, was charged with election law forgery, forging a signature on an absentee ballot application and providing a false statement in an application for an absentee ballot.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office began an investigation in April into four current council members and a former council member for a "conspiracy to unlawfully obtain access to absentee ballots with the intent to illegally vote the ballots."