GOP operative pleads guilty to defrauding government while running election fraud scheme: report

The United States government will be reimbursed after fraud was committed by a GOP operative running an election fraud scheme.

"McCrae Dowless pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to two crimes stemming from the investigation into the absentee ballot fraud scheme he's accused of running in Bladen County and other parts of southeastern North Carolina," the Charlotte News & Observerreports. "Neither of the charges dealt directly with the election fraud allegations, however. Instead, he pleaded guilty to two of the four charges he faced related to Social Security disability fraud, and prosecutors agreed to drop the other two charges."

While the charges aren't directly related, they stem from the fact Dowless was running his election fraud scheme while claiming to be too disabled to work.

"Dowless entered the plea minutes before jury selection was about to begin in his trial in Greenville," the newspaper noted. "He also agreed Monday to pay back up to $14,000 to the government as restitution for the disability payments he fraudulently took, but he won't know for two more months what other punishment he might face. Sentencing in his case was set for the week of Aug. 23."

Vice News reporter Cameron Joseph noted the significance of the guilty verdict as Republicans continue to manufacture lies about voter fraud.