HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that an Arizona man will serve prison and probation terms for offering financial incentives to street canvassers during voter registration drives in Pennsylvania prior to the 2024 General Election.
Guillermo Sainz, who managed voter registration efforts for an Arizona-based company, pleaded guilty Monday in Lancaster County Court to three misdemeanor counts of solicitation of registration. Sainz will immediately serve 30 days in Lancaster County Prison, followed by 11 months of probation, and is ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
An Office of Attorney General investigation involved reviews of several thousands of voter registration forms that were delivered on or close to the voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania in Berks, Lancaster, and York counties. Six canvassers were also charged.
The Office of Attorney General determined that the crimes were not motivated by efforts to sway any election or voter rolls for any specific party or candidate. Rather, the charged defendants were motivated to maintain employment and income by reaching quotas.
“Our investigation found that these crimes involved financial motives, not political ones, as submitted forms were from all parties,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Motives aside, these are serious crimes that threaten public confidence in the election process.”
The comprehensive investigation involved meticulous reviews of many thousands of documents, interviews with numerous individuals across the state and country, and collaboration with impacted county officials.
Sainz was charged last year with three counts of solicitation of registration, a crime under the Pa Elections Code regarding offering financial incentives for achieving registration quotas.
Cases are pending against the charged canvassers: Amos Clay, Joseph Jameson, Anya McCurdy, Meghan McDevitt, Richard Perez, Samantha Szukiewicz. Each is charged with unsworn falsification, tampering with public records, forgery, and two crimes under the Pa Elections Code and Voter Registration law. Szukiewicz is also charged with identity theft.
Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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