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New group’s focus is fraud in West Virginia government

WHEELING — A new public integrity/special investigations unit focusing on fraud and corruption within West Virginia government met for the first time Tuesday in Charleston.

Mike Stuart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, formed the unit with the intent of combining state and federal offices to closely watch government operations and make certain its integrity is maintained.

“We live in one of the greatest times of cynicism, and it is important to know our government is honest,” Stuart said. “I see corruption as a cancer. If we let it fester, it will grow bigger. When it comes to protecting the sanctity of our government, our electoral system and taxpayer dollars, it’s really important we give citizens some confidence.”

Among federal agencies slated to be represented with the unit are the IRS, the FBI, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services Medicare and Medicaid Fraud unit and the Department of Defense.

State offices participating include the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office and the West Virginia Auditor’s Office.

Stuart said his goal is for the unit to determine the best course of action among the agencies when an issue is detected, and who will be involved with investigating the matter.

He explained the unit is not being assembled in response to any particular incident.

“I don’t know if there is a problem, but it’s good to be vigilant rather than to wait until there is a clear problem. … My hope is there is no public corruption. But just in case there is, we will be there to prosecute.”

One member of the unit is Steve Connolly, chief legal counsel for the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. Connolly reports, since January 2017, there have been 286 cases of suspected voter fraud investigated by the office, while he has had to prosecute in three cases.

The first was in Marion County, where a man was registered to vote in Marion and Monongalia counties. Officials policing the registration system discovered this after he voted twice in May 2016.

The second case involved a voter in Cabell County who had moved to the state of Ohio and registered to vote. A cross check of the Electronic Regional Information Center revealed he voted in person in Ohio, but also submitted an absentee ballot in West Virginia.

In both instances, the voter was charged with illegal voting and later pleaded guilty. The sentence carries up to a year in jail, and a $1,000 fine, according to Connolly.

A slightly different voting infraction happened recently in the Eastern Panhandle. A resident of the West African country of Burkina Faso registered to vote in Berkeley County, but later had his registration pulled after clerks determined he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. The man then proceeded to register to vote again through the Division of Motor Vehicles, and since has been charged with perjury.

The common factor in all three incidents is voter registration within the DMV, according to Connolly. The registration through the DMV “provides a quick and easy vehicle for someone to obtain registration,” he said. But there is no nationwide network that allows county clerks across America to cross check their registrations with other states.

West Virginia subscribes to ERIC and the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, but not all 50 states are involved with either system.

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