Mayor of St. Louis suburb charged with felony voter fraud
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The 81-year-old mayor of a St. Louis suburb is accused of submitting fraudulent absentee voter applications in what prosecutors say was an effort to illegally influence the city’s municipal elections.
Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins was charged Thursday with four counts of committing an election offense and one forgery count. The charges were filed by Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who was assigned as special prosecutor.
The alleged crimes occurred in the run-up to the April 2018 municipal election in Berkeley, a city of about 9,000 residents. The mayor’s race was not on the ballot, but four city council positions were.
Prosecutors accuse Hoskins of submitting false absentee voter applications from at least three elderly residents.
Hoskins didn’t immediately reply to phone messages and an email seeking comment.