The Shaker Heights attorney found guilty in Cuyahoga County last week of two counts of election fraud for voting twice in the 2020 and 2022 general elections was sentenced Monday to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
James Saunders, 56, received the maximum prison sentence for election fraud, which is a fourth-degree felony under Ohio law and carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison per count.
“James Saunders is a licensed attorney, and he intentionally violated those rights when he voted multiple times in multiple elections. He clearly knew better but violated the law anyway. I think the message is clear – do not commit election fraud in Cuyahoga County.”
Saunders was found guilty by a Cuyahoga County grand jury last Tuesday, Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced in the news release.
Watch our report about the verdict last week:
“Mr. Saunders is the poster child for voter fraud. He thought he could outsmart the system, but today’s verdict proves he was wrong,” O’Malley said. “Judge Santoli’s verdict and remanding of this defendant sends a stern message that voter fraud will not be tolerated.”
An investigation revealed that Saunders voted on Ohio and Florida ballots during the Nov. 3, 2020, general election, casting an early, in-person ballot in Cuyahoga County before casting an in-person ballot in Florida on the day of the election, the release states.
Further investigations revealed that during the Nov. 8, 2022 general election, Saunders cast a mail-in ballot in Florida and an in-person ballot while in Ohio. His signature was consistent and matched all previously registered ballots.
The investigation also revealed that he also voted twice in the 2014 and 2016 general elections, but those incidents could not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, the prosecutor’s office stated.
According to the state records and federal elections filings, Saunders is a longtime Republican who has donated more than $3,000 over the past decade to GOP candidates and PACs, including Donald Trump.
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