Former State Rep. David Cole was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to voter fraud by voting at an unauthorized polling location.
Cole was arrested in late August and resigned shortly after his arrest. He accepted a guilty plea for a Class C felony and was officially sentenced Tuesday morning. According to the plea agreement, Cole will serve a three-year split sentence. Cole will spend 60 days in the Madison County Jail and serve the remainder under unsupervised probation.
Cole will also pay court costs and any income Cole accrued during his time in the House of Representatives, including salary, per diem, stipends and any other revenue.
Earlier this year, Cole's residency was questioned by his Libertarian election opponent Elijah Boyd, who alleged that Cole claimed a residence in District 10 when he declared for the race. At the same time, tax documents showed his residence was in District 4.
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Court documents say that Cole fabricated a residency to run for the House seat in District 10 after redrawn lines in 2021 put his actual residence in House District 4. Cole asked an unnamed party to create a lease for a house in District 10, paying a monthly rent of $5. While Cole reportedly had several pieces of mail sent to the District 10 residence, he never moved in nor stayed at the house.
Court documents claim Cole used the leased home in District 10 and an apartment located in District 10 to vote in the June 2022 runoff and November 2022 general elections, all while "knowingly" not residing in the district.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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