MILLBOURNE, Pa. — This week, three local politicians near Philadelphia faced federal charges stemming from an alleged scheme to manipulate the 2021 mayoral election by creating approximately thirty false mail-in ballots.
A federal grand jury has charged Mohammed Nurul Hasan, Mohammed Munsur Ali, and Mohammed Rafikul Islam with conspiring to register individuals who resided outside the borough of Millbourne—home to around 1,200 residents—as residents of the borough. This allowed them to request mail-in ballots and eventually submit these completed ballots to the Delaware County elections office.
Hasan, who previously served as vice president of the borough council, lost the Democratic primary for mayor in this predominantly Democratic region. Ali managed to secure a win in the Democratic primary for borough council, while Islam lost his bid for re-election to the council during that primary.
The alleged fraudulent activities are linked to Hasan’s unsuccessful attempt to run as a write-in candidate for the mayorship in the fall of 2021. In the general election, he was defeated, receiving 138 votes compared to 165 for his opponent.
According to the indictment, Hasan and Ali allegedly informed acquaintances who lived outside of Millbourne that they would not face repercussions as long as they refrained from voting in any other elections in November 2021. Furthermore, it is claimed that some individuals were registered as voters in Millbourne without their consent.
The accusations also involve the forgery of voters’ signatures on the return envelopes of these ballots. The trio faces charges including conspiracy, providing false information in voter registration, and fraudulent voter registration. Hasan and Ali currently do not have legal representation listed in the court records, and attempts to reach them for comments at the borough office went unanswered.
In contrast, Islam’s attorney, Robert C. Keller, stated that the allegations against his client pertain to only a small number of the charges. “At best or worst, he’d be liable for three of the issues,” Keller commented, adding that Islam has no prior legal issues and is a married U.S. citizen with children, currently employed.
