Election fraud charges filed against 2 Hamtramck councilmen
Councilmen Mohammed Kamrul Hassan, 57, and Muhtasin Rahman Sadman, 26, each face several felony and misdemeanor charges for alleged criminal activity from July 7 to Nov. 7, 2023, a time period that includes both the August primary and November general elections in Hamtramck, in which Hassan and Sadman were running. The charges don't specify which of the two elections the alleged fraud involves.
The charges were filed Friday, Aug. 8, in 31st District Court in Hamtramck by Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Yorkey, who was assigned to the case after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recused herself over perceptions of bias against Muslims.
Yorkey said Monday, Aug. 11, in a statement to the Free Press that the charges came after "an exhaustive review of law enforcements findings."
Yorkey said that "Sadman forged an absentee ballot application with the intent to defraud and aided or counseled two unqualified electors to vote in the 2023 election" and that Hassan "forged an absentee ballot application with the intent to defraud in the 2023 election for City Council." It's unclear who the two voters involved in Sadman's case are.
"Several law enforcement agencies conducted thorough investigations and submitted their findings to our office," Yorkey said.
Sadman told the Free Press the charges are "fully made-up, to make our community, the Muslim and Bangladeshi community, look bad."
Sadman and Hassan are both Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh. The entire six-member council in Hamtramck is Muslim, four of them immigrants from Bangladesh.
It's a "made-up case," Sadman added. "We'll fight."
More: Trump supporters top vote-getters in Hamtramck races as Wayne voters cast ballots
Hassan did not return messages seeking comment. At a June city council meeting, Hassan, who works at Ford Motor Co., said the allegations of corruption in Hamtramck have "hurt my reputation in my workplace. ... It destroyed my face value."
Hassan asked the media to "not disclose what is not truth. ... Don't tell corruption, corruption, corruption."
Judge Alexis Krot of 31st District Court in Hamtramck set a $2,500 bond for Hassan and $7,500 for Sadman.
In 2023, three council seats were up for grabs. Hassan came in first place in the November election and Sadman, a political newcomer, finished third. Hassan was seen as a political mentor for Sadman and endorsed his campaign. Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj alleged in March in a letter to Nessel that absentee ballot fraud was taking place in the city. Hassan and Sadman had come in fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the August 2023 primary, while the top primary vote-getter, Nayeem Choudury, failed to finish among the top three in the November election.
Court records show that the three charges against Hassan are:
Election law — forging a signature on an absentee ballot application, a felony with a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and/or $1,000 fine
Election law — forgery, a felony that carries the same penalty
Election law — false statement in application for absentee ballot, a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 90 days and/or $500 fine.
Sadman faces the same three charges as Hassan, plus two counts of election law — unqualified elector attempting to vote, a felony with a maximum four years sentence and/or $2,000 fine. Neither the charges nor Yorkey said whether Hassan and Sadman were working together or separately on the alleged fraud.
Elected in 2009, Hassan has been outspoken during his time on city council. In 2017, he ran against Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski, but lost, with Majewski garnering 61%. Hassan drew national attention in 2023 when he introduced a resolution that banned LGBTQ+ and other political flags from city property.
There are two other investigations also taking place in Hamtramck involving a Michigan State Police investigation into whether two other councilman live in the city and a city investigation into the city manager and police chief. FBI agents visited Hamtramck in May.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Election, voter fraud charges filed against 2 Hamtramck councilmen
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