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Defeated South Dakota G O P Senate candidate Arrested & charged in election fraud (416 hits)

Defeated Senate candidate arrested Just one day after losing her GOP primary race in South Dakota, Annette Bosworth found herself facing multiple criminal charges. What she's accused of doing

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota authorities on Wednesday arrested defeated U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth and charged her with multiple counts of perjury and filing false election documents, saying she fraudulently attested to gathering voter signatures when she was really on a Christian mission trip to the Philippines.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley charged Bosworth with six counts of perjury and six counts of filing false documents related to election campaign laws. The arrest warrant was served a day after Bosworth lost the Republican primary with just 6 percent of the vote.

"The election complaints received by the Secretary of State involve conduct that is serious, deliberate, and must be addressed in order to preserve the integrity of our elections," Jackley said in a statement. "Because this is a federal elected office, I have and will continue to discuss the investigation with federal authorities."
Jackley said the 42-year-old Bosworth was given notice of the warrant Wednesday morning and turned herself in to the Minnehaha County Jail. She was immediately released.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Bosworth called the charges "a political intimidation scheme" against her by Jackley, who was initially appointed to his position by former Gov. Mike Rounds in 2009. Rounds defeated Bosworth and three other Republicans Tuesday night to capture the GOP nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Tim Johnson.

"We still believe this is a political persecution," Bosworth said in a prepared statement. She did not take questions.

Jackley said the charges are not politically motivated.

"The Attorney General does not have the luxury of talking a walk or a pass on tough issues," said Jackley, who was re-elected to his post in 2010. "Ms. Bosworth's conduct and statements regarding her petitions speak for themselves."

Jackley in May announced that he would investigate several nominating petitions submitted by U.S. Senate candidates, including that of Bosworth, after a liberal blogger and a conservative state lawmaker raised concerns about the legitimacy of some petitions.

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