Former Democratic congressman Michael "Ozzie" Myers, who was caught accepting bribes in an FBI sting operation decades ago, was charged Thursday on a multitude of voting fraud-related charges.
According to the charges, Myers, who worked as a political consultant in Philadelphia, bribed elections judge Domenick DeMuro to inflate voting results for candidates in Democratic primaries in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The former congressman was charged with stuffing the ballot box, bribing an elected official, falsifying records, voting multiple times in federal elections, and obstructing justice.
DeMuro pleaded guilty in May to accepting bribes from an "unnamed campaign consultant"—who federal authorities later identified as Myers.
Myers represented Pennsylvania's First Congressional District from 1976 to 1980 before being caught in an FBI sting operation for accepting a $50,000 bribe in exchange for political favors. He was caught on a recording, infamously saying, "Money talks in this business, and bullshit walks." Myers was charged with bribery and sentenced to three years in prison.
Myers's latest charges come amid controversy over the use of mail-in ballots in the upcoming November election. Though many on the left are calling to use mail-in ballots as a safer alternative to in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic, many on the right fear it could invite voter fraud—in New Jersey’s recent special election, 19 percent of mail-in ballots were found to be fraudulent.