Latest news with #Clerk'sOffice
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Feds charge U-M student from China with voting illegally, fleeing US
The FBI is on the hunt for a former University of Michigan student from China who allegedly voted illegally in the 2024 presidential election, then fled the country one day before Donald Trump took office, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit. The fugitive, Haoxiang Gao, now faces federal charges for allegedly voting illegally, and fleeing the country to avoid prosecution. According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, he was already facing state charges for voting illegally and was released on a $5,000 personal bond last fall with conditions: He had to surrender his passport and not leave the state. While Gao did surrender his passport, the complaint states, he jumped bond on Jan. 19 and fled the country on a Delta flight to Shanghai, China. According to Customs and Border Protection records, he passed through Detroit Metro Airport security using a passport that was in his name, but bore a different number than the one on the passport he initially surrendered to police. He is now facing federal charges of filing false claims to register to vote, unlawfully voting as an undocumented immigrant, and fleeing to avoid prosecution. "I hope that today's charges send a message to foreign nationals — including those who are students at our universities — that we will not tolerate illegal voting," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a statement Tuesday, in which he expressed particular concern over the defendant's nationality. 'Illegal voting is a serious crime that casts doubt on our elections and serves to disenfranchise United States citizens by diluting their power at the ballot box. But illegal voting by a foreign national who is from a country controlled by a communist party dictatorship — with no modern history or tradition of democratic government — is beyond the pale," Gorgon states. According to the criminal complaint, here is how Gao fell on the FBI's radar after the 2024 presidential election: In October 2024, Gao was living in room 4515 at a student dormitory on Observatory Street when he cast an early ballot in the 2024 presidential election. At the time, he held a Green Card, a Florida driver's license and a Social Security number. More: Criminal charges filed after noncitizen allegedly voted in Michigan On Oct. 28, U-M Public Safety & Security received information from the Ann Arbor Clerk's Office that a Chinese national may have cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election. The Clerk's Office stated that in the late afternoon of Oct. 27 an unidentified male caller contacted the office and asked whether voting with a green card at the polling place across the street from the U-M Student Union building was OK. The Clerk's Office representative said that only U.S. citizens can vote, and that green card holders cannot. Before the caller got off the phone, the Clerk's Office representative took a photograph of the caller's telephone number, which was the same number that Gao had listed on his fraudulent state of Michigan Voter Registration Application. Gao then called the Clerk's Office a second time, identified himself and "admitted that he cast a fraudulent vote. GAO asked if he could 'pull back his vote,' " the complaint states. "(He) stated he was 'freaking out because I wasn't supposed to vote,' before concluding the call," the complaint states. More: FBI visits Hamtramck amid several investigations into alleged wrongdoing by officials "GAO claimed that he later tried to 'make things right' by contacting the city of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County Clerk's Office," the complaint states. Charges, however, followed. According to the complaint, police matched Gao's scribbled signature on his voter registration application to his Florida driver's license. They also interviewed his roommate, who told police that "Gao had talked about going to vote in the 2024 Presidential Election on October 27, 2024, during a bus ride to the University of Michigan Union" before he actually voted. The roommate also told police that after Gao voted, he posted "a message that he voted in the 2024 Presidential Election on a Chinese application, WeChat, from his cell phone." Gao, however, did not disclose these details to police, the complaint states. Criminal charges followed. On Nov. 8, Gao turned himself in via Zoom and was arraigned in 14A District Court in Ann Arbor on felony charges of lying to register to vote and being unqualified to try to vote. He was released on bond and ordered to return to court on Jan. 17 for a probable cause hearing, which was pushed to March 5. Gao, however, was gone by then. According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, on Jan. 19, Gao boarded Delta Flight No. 389 bound for Shanghai at Detroit Metro Airport using a second passport he had obtained. He has not been seen since. An attorney of record has not been listed for Gao. His whereabouts are unknown. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Feds charge University of Michigan Chinese student with illegal voting
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sandoval Co. Clerk's Office: State-wide marriage license fee increase starts June 20
SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) — Senate Bill 290 was signed into law on April 8, 2025. It increases the cost of marriage license fees in New Mexico for the first time in over 22 years. The Sandoval County Clerk's Office is reminding the public that increase goes into effect on Friday, June 20. Story continues below Entertainment: First-of-its-kind indoor pickleball facility coming to northeast Albuquerque Community: Albuquerque church leaning on faith after 2 members killed by their son Environment: What should New Mexicans do if they come across a raccoon? Licenses are going from $25 to $55. Clerk Brady Romero said in a news release, 'It's important to note that marriage licenses in New Mexico have no expiration date. Couples can obtain their licenses now or closer to their wedding. The application process begins in person at our office and does require an appointment. After the ceremony, the signed certificate is returned to the Clerk's Office within 90 days for official recording.' Fees collected for marriage licenses will be distributed as follows: $20 to the county clerk's office for document preservation and technology improvements $20 to the children's trust fund for child abuse prevention and support services $15 to the county general fund In Sandoval County, marriage license appointments are available Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (505) 867-7572. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-Pierce County court clerk gets $1M after complaints of toxic work environment
The Pierce County Council unanimously approved a settlement for $1 million to former Pierce County Superior Court Clerk Constance White on Tuesday in response to a claim White filed on March 31 alleging discrimination and retaliation against her as an African American woman. According to the claim, which asked for a $5.5 million settlement, White alleged since 2022 she was discriminated against based on her status. White said her input was sought on issues like race but 'as to the merits of Clerk's Office standards, I was ignored and marginalized.' White was appointed Pierce County Clerk in December 2021. County communications manager Kyle Schmidtke confirmed Wednesday that White is no longer employed with Pierce County and that Julie Murray has been serving as active interim clerk since Monday. Murray is executive counsel to Executive Ryan Mello. The Pierce County Superior Court Clerk's office oversees the court's legal financial transactions, including civil, domestic, felony criminal, civil commitment, probate, guardianship, paternity and adoptions, according to the 2024-2025 budget. The Clerk of the Superior Court is also responsible for managing and processing administrative documents and serves as the court's record keeper. The office's 2024-2025 budget is about $17.8 million. As previously reported by The News Tribune, in 2022 and 2023 more than five staff members spoke with Pierce County Human Resources alleging White created and fostered a hostile work environment that left many staff feeling isolated, anxious and intimidated. The office saw significant turnover from 2021-2023 and the loss of institutional knowledge was cited by state auditors as the reasons for a 'significant lack' of financial control and general oversight of the Pierce County Superior Court Clerk's Office. In 2024 The News Tribune also reported that in 2021 White found out that a private title company had used space in the Clerk's Office rent-free for more than 30 years. Title Support Services Inc. was removed in December 2023. In her claim against Pierce County, White alleged, 'My leadership was undercut at every turn' and an HR director told her 'the reason staff was refusing to work under my direction was because I was Black.' 'I was not permitted to lead and staff were encouraged to undermine my authority and treat me with disrespect,' she said. 'I was threatened and not supported making the workplace unsafe.' White noted she was injured and was currently seeking medical treatment as a result. Her attorney, Joan Mell, told The News Tribune Wednesday the situation was 'so disappointing' and said White uprooted herself to come to Pierce County from Texas for the job. 'Pierce County officials hold themselves out as so welcoming and enlightened, and it's very disarming to invest in that messaging and have so clearly demonstrated in your face that they are probably less enlightened than they think they are,' Mell said. Schmidtke told The News Tribune in an email Tuesday that 'as with all personnel-related matters, the County does not discuss specific details to protect employee privacy.' 'From the beginning of this administration, we have prioritized making Pierce County a respectful, inclusive, and supportive place to work for everyone — from front-line staff to department directors,' Jaime Smith, Executive Ryan Mello's chief of staff, said in an email. 'Over the past several months, we worked closely with Constance White and her team to address several long-standing challenges within the Clerk's Office. I'm grateful we were able to make meaningful progress and reach a resolution that supports all parties. We thank Ms. White for her service and wish her well in her next chapter.' Schmidtke said Wednesday that the county is 'prepared to launch an open, competitive recruitment for the permanent position' in early June. He declined to comment on White's allegations. 'We worked to resolve this matter constructively and in a manner that supports all involved,' he said. 'The settlement reflects a mutually agreed-upon resolution reached through negotiations between both parties. As with many such cases, the decision to settle was based on a variety of factors, including the potential costs, time, and impacts of extended litigation.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Incorrect ballots given to some Skokie voters
Ahead of municipal elections on Tuesday, Village of Skokie officials announced that some residents received incorrect ballots listing the names of candidates outside of their trustee district. This is the first time voters will elect district trustees in the village, after voters in a 2022 election approved this new geographically representative form of village government. Officials from the village and Cook County dispute what, or who, caused the error. A village spokesperson said Skokie provided Cook County with accurate and timely trustee maps, and that the error occurred in that office. A county spokesperson said Skokie officials provided inaccurate boundary information to the Cook County Clerk's Office, the chief election authority in suburban Cook County. 'The Cook County Clerk's Office was required to send out corrected mail ballots for two districts in Skokie after local officials provided inaccurate boundary information to the Clerk's Office for those districts,' Sally Daly, the deputy clerk of communications for the County Clerk's office, told Pioneer Press in an email. 'The (Cook County) Clerk's Office was not informed of this error until March 17, the first day of Early Voting,' Daly said. The Clerk's office contacted the 50 voters who had voted on faulty ballots and provided them corrected replacement ballots the day after they voted on the incorrect ballots, she said, 'with a letter informing them that due to the re-districting done by the Village of Skokie for the newly created districts, that they had been incorrectly placed in the wrong district. These voters were instructed to return the new ballot and to disregard the one that had previously been sent.' The Clerk's Office also immediately corrected the ballot information on Early Voting equipment at all election precincts that were impacted, she added. As a result, no votes were disqualified, she said. Patrick Deignan, the village's director of communications and community engagement, said in an email, 'The Village contracted with outside counsel, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, which provided accurate trustee district boundary descriptions to Cook County. The village confirmed with the county that the ordinance and district maps that were filed with the county were accurate. Deignan continued, 'The error occurred in the Cook County Election Board's office, and the Election Board has assured the village that it has corrected its error.' On Tuesday, voters will elect four district trustees, one for each of four districts, and two at-large trustees for the whole village. This hybrid approach to representation on the Village Board was implemented as a result of a series of election referenda approved by Skokie voters in 2022. According to a news release uploaded to the village's website on March 29, Skokie Clerk Minal Desai became aware of at least two incorrect ballots when early voting began on March 17. The ballots allowed Skokie residents that live in District 2 to vote for a District 3 trustee. Mayor George Van Dusen, Village Manager John Lockerby and Corporation Counsel Michael Lorge and outside counsel also knew of the incorrect ballots and implored the Cook County Election Board to correct the ballots, per the news release. Deignan said the incorrect ballot reports came from Skokie residents who live near a trustee district boundary. He added that the village requested the county to provide affected residents with corrected ballots, as well as a letter informing those residents of the error. The Cook County Clerk's office is still expected to be able to provide accurate and timely election results Tuesday night, Deignan said. Desai did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday. Deignan did not immediately respond to Pioneer Press's inquiry about Daly's comments. The ballot gaffe has created political fodder for candidates who are running for Skokie clerk, including Desai, who is running after she was appointed clerk in 2024. Naema Abraham, a current school board member for Niles Township High School District 219 and village clerk candidate, posted on her Facebook page March 28 that the village clerk is responsible for verifying the district trustee maps, and that the current clerk's failure to do so caused the blunder in the ballots. 'These errors reflect a serious lack of diligence and preparedness. Skokie residents deserve a village clerk who is proactive, accurate and accountable — someone who ensures every vote is counted properly and every voter receives correct information,' she posted. James Johnson, a current Skokie trustee who is running for the village clerk position, posted the following on their Facebook page March 28. 'From my understanding, this mistake was entirely avoidable. District map allocations were sent to the village in December 2024, but the village clerk's office did not adequately review this information or respond with any corrections until Early Voting had already begun.' 'As the initiator of Skokie's new 'hybrid' electoral system, which combines at-large and district-based Trustee positions for the first time, I am disappointed by this error in an otherwise excellent implementation process.'
