Former Atlantic City Councilman MD Hossain Morshed pleaded guilty today to filing fake voter registrations in advance of the 2019 Democratic primary.
“This defendant admitted that he attempted to deprive residents of New Jersey of a fair election by obtaining false voter registration applications and facilitating their submission,” U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we were able to uncover Morshed’s efforts to garner votes from residents who were not allowed to vote for him. We are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who unlawfully attempt to compromise the integrity of our elections.”
Morshed allegedly convinced a prospective voter to sign a voter registration form that had already been filled out using an address in Atlantic City’s 4th Ward, where the prospective voter did not live. A vote-by-mail ballot was later returned by that voter, who told law enforcement that they didn’t receive the ballot, fill it out, or return it. That vote was counted, the Justice Department said today.
That year, Morshed won the primary election with 53% of the vote in a five-candidate field.
In 2023, after the indictment was announced, George “Animal” Crouch beat Morshed in the Democratic primary by 35 votes, 223-188 (31%-36%) in a five-way race.
The voter appears to have worn a wire; the U.S. Attorney’s press release after the charges against Morshed were initially announced, calledit a “lawfully recorded conversation” with Morshed, who allegedly told the voter to lie about where they lived and who filled out the voter registration form if asked by law enforcement.
He had initially been charged with making false statements to the FBI and submitted $39,208 worth of fake unemployment benefit claims with the state Department of Labor.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 16, 2024.
Former Atlantic City Council President Craig Callaway was arrested last month on voter fraud charges unrelated to Morshed.
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