A former Ashtabula city councilman will have to pay a $150 fine after pleading guilty on Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of attempted election falsification.
Reginald M. Holman, a former representative from the city's third ward, also received a suspended 90-day jail sentence and a year of probation. In exchange for his guilty plea, felony charges of election falsification and false voter registration were dismissed.
Holman was accused this past February of providing a false address to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections when he ran for council in 2017. He apparently testified to having an address at West 43rd St. and had been registered to vote there since 2008. In reality, authorities say he did not live there at the time of the election.
Ashtabula County Prosecutor Nicholas A. Iarocci called Holman's guilty plea and sentence "a fair resolution in this case." He cited Holman's resignation from the city council and removal from voter roles "as a result of the investigation."
"The Ashtabula County Board of Elections and law enforcement take very seriously crimes of elections and voter fraud," Iarocci further stated, "and my office will not hesitate to criminally charge and prosecute offenders of Ohio's voter laws."
