Brandon Twp – It’s going to cost John Gilpin for forging his daughter’s signature on a primary election absentee ballot.
On Tuesday, July 15, Judge Michael Batchik, of the 52nd District Court, in Clarkston slapped Gilpin with a $250 fine, ordered him to serve 9 months of supervised probation, tagged with a $35 per month oversight fee, and mandated him to 50 hours community service.
The penalties were a result of Gilpin’s agreement to accept a misdemeanor charge for forging his daughter’s signature on the August 2002 primary election absentee ballot.
In August 2002, while counting the votes election workers discovered a discrepancy in the signatures on the absentee ballot. As a matter of legal course the election workers forwarded the document to the Oakland County Sheriff Department where the prosecutor’s office recommended Gilpin be charged with a felony offense.
After the hearing for the initial felony charge, in April 2003 Gilpin admitted to Batchik he was guilty of forging the signature. But, as a result of a plea bargain between Gilpin’s attorney and the prosecuting attorney, Gilpin agreed to accept an additional misdemeanor election violation charge in lieu of the federal charge. The court then dismissed the felony charge.
In Michigan Election Law forgery of an election ballot is a federal offense, punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or state imprisonment up to five years. An election misdemeanor charge carries a $500 fine, or imprisonment in county jail for no more than 90 days.
The prosecuting attorney could not be reached for comment.