Wisconsin absentee ballot fraud: Harry Wait sentenced, 3 years probation
Wisconsin absentee ballot fraud: Harry Wait sentenced
A Walworth County judge sentenced 72-year-old Harry Wait to three years of probation on Tuesday for election fraud and identity theft.
ELKHORN, Wis. - A Walworth judge sentenced Harry Wait on Tuesday, June 2, to three years of probation following his conviction on election fraud and identity theft charges. There will be no jail time for Wait. However, he will not be able to vote.
Prior to sentencing, prosecutors indicated to the court that they wanted Wait locked up.
Harry Wait
What they're saying:
"Your honor, this sentence is not driven by politics or ideology. It’s not based on whether one agrees or disagrees with the defendant’s views about elections. The courts in Wisconsin do not sentence beliefs, they sentence conduct. And the conduct before the court today is serious," said Leigh Neville-Neil, Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General. ""Your honor, confinement is necessary in this case, to punish the defendant for deliberating choosing this path and to make sure that he doesn’t do it again. It is necessary to send the message to the public that we are serious about protecting their identities and holding people who deliberately commit election fraud accountable."
Harry Wait
A jury found Wait guilty in March of two misdemeanor counts of election fraud and one felony count of identity theft.
Case details
The backstory:
Wait, now 72, was charged in 2022 by the Wisconsin Department of Justice with two misdemeanor counts of election fraud and two felony counts of identity theft. Prosecutors say Wait requested absentee ballots in the names of Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason, actions they argue were intentional violations of the law.
Wait acknowledged requesting the ballots in 2022, but maintained he was attempting to expose vulnerabilities in the state’s absentee voting system.
"I would do it again, and again and again because I believe it is a fundamental right of people to engage in civil disobedience when their government is wrong," Wait told the court in March.
Harry Wait found guilty of 3 counts in absentee ballot fraud case
A Racine County jury will soon decide the face of a man who ordered absentee ballots for Racine's mayor and Wisconsin's Assembly Speaker. The accused is Harry Wait.
According to testimony, Wait used the state’s MyVote website in July 2022 to request ballots for others. He later showed FOX6 the ballots he received.
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Wait’s defense attorney argued his client did not try to conceal his actions and instead quickly notified officials. The defense says Wait emailed Vos, Mason, the district attorney and the sheriff about six hours after requesting the ballots, emphasizing his intent to highlight potential flaws rather than commit fraud.
Wait response
What they're saying:
"One of the things the judge said was the issue of whether this was going to encourage others to follow suit. What would you say to others considering doing what you did?" asked FOX6's Jason Calvi on Tuesday.
"I wouldn’t recommend it. I have like some $130,000 in legal fees. I did it for the people," Wait replied.
Harry Wait in Racine County court
Wait told FOX6 News he wants to appeal his conviction.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, and previous FOX6 News coverage.