Helper gop Plea Deals Guilty To Voter Registration Fraud
Owner of registration company pleads guilty to voter fraud
Laguna Beach resident Mark Jacoby, who collects signatures for petition drives, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to three years’ probation and 30 days of service with the California Department of Transportation.
Jacoby, owner of Young Political Majors, registered to vote at Los Angeles addresses that were not his own. State law requires petition circulators to be qualified voters. Jacoby will also be required to show proof he is registered at his correct address.
2008:
Californian who registered voters charged with fraud
Authorities also are investigating complaints that Jacoby’s company, Young Political Majors, or YPM, improperly registered voters as Republicans, said Ed Miller, a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that dozens of voters claimed they had been duped by YPM employees into switching parties and registering as Republicans when they were asked to sign a petition seeking tougher penalties against child molesters.
He said Jacoby, who is in his 20s, travels frequently but always returns to California, where his mother keeps a permanent home that Jacoby treats as his own residence.
The California Republican Party, which pays YPM a fee of $7 to $12 for each registration it secures, issued a statement calling the charges against Jacoby “politically motivated.” Bowen, the state’s chief elections officer, is a Democrat.
