Second Defendant Pleads Guilty In Minnesota Voter Fraud Conspiracy

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The second of two Nevada residents charged in Minnesota with conspiracy to commit voter registration fraud pleaded guilty Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced.

Ronnie Williams, 58, admitted to submitting fraudulent voter registration applications using fake names and personal information, and passing them to a nonprofit working to register Minnesota voters.

Williams was paid per registration and split the proceeds with his co-defendant, Lorraine Lee Combs, 57, authorities said.

Combs pleaded guilty on June 24. Under her plea agreement, federal sentencing guidelines recommend zero to six months in prison, with one to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $20,000, the Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors said the scheme was financially motivated. "Foundation 1," an unnamed nonprofit conducting legitimate voter registration efforts, paid canvassers per completed application.

Williams and Combs exploited the system by submitting forms with fake names to boost their earnings, according to court documents. While the fraud did not result in fraudulent votes being cast, officials said it compromised the integrity of the voter registration process.

According to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, the state’s voter registration system functioned exactly as intended. Local election officials spotted inconsistencies on the forms and alerted law enforcement, helping to prevent any fraudulent votes from being cast.

“Minnesota’s elections are free, fair, and secure – and these charges reinforce that fact,” Simon said in a June 13 statement. “The extensive checks in Minnesota's voter registration process ensured that the fraudulent applications were immediately flagged, and no ineligible votes were cast. Our message to would-be fraudsters is clear: If you try to trick or scheme your way into registering voters in Minnesota, you will be caught and prosecuted.”

“Today’s guilty plea underscores our commitment to protecting the integrity of the electoral process,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson on Tuesday. “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. Any attempt to undermine that process through fraud will be investigated and prosecuted. This case sends a clear message—election fraud will not be tolerated in Minnesota.”

According to court documents, from 2021 through 2022, Williams and Combs created fictitious names and filled out Minnesota voter registration forms. They signed certification statements falsely claiming the information was accurate, despite clear warnings that doing so is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.

Williams submitted the fraudulent forms to Foundation 1, which forwarded them to county election offices across Minnesota. Williams received payment from Foundation 1 and split the money with Combs, prosecutors said.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, and the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs and Trial Attorney Jonathan Jacobson are prosecuting the case.