This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
State police authorities in Indiana are investigating allegations that there were "hundreds" of "fraudulent" signatures submitted in a petition to put Dean Phillips, who is challenging Joe Biden for the Democrat nomination for president in 2024, on this year's ballot.
A report in The Federalist explains the publication learned from Indiana State Police Sgt. Ted Bohner that the work is "probably going to be lengthy."
The case developed when St. Joseph County Clerk Amy Rolfes and her staff "discovered hundreds of what appeared to be fraudulent petition signatures and addresses," the report said.
Rolfes confirmed that she alerted state authorities when the apparent forgeries were spotted.
She confirmed knowing the identity of the campaign worker who submitted the names but cannot release that now.
The report explained the campaign worker showed up on January 25 with about 80 petitions in support of having Phillips on the state's presidential ballot.
But many were lacking details, and when the worker returned the next day with "complete" forms, staff members in the county office noticed difficulties immediately.
"Curiously, there were addresses that simply did not exist. The streets did, but not the house numbers," the clerk told The Federalist. "We would look through and compare the signatures but there was nothing like them in the statewide system."
In fact, Rolfes said, the problems were "glaringly apparent."
Also found here fake zip codes.
The county notified the election office at the Indiana Secretary of State's office and then called the state police.
The report pointed out that in the state, "Falsifying campaign petitions, declarations, or certificates in Indiana is a Level 6 felony, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 2 1/2 years and up to a $10,000 fine."
The report noted the Phillips campaign didn't comment, but the publication did point out that there was "election fraud" in the county only a few years ago.
It was in the county, which was "home to South Bend and its former leftist mayor-turned-incompetent transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg."
At that time, Owen "Butch" Morgan, was chairman of the county Democrats.
He was convicted in 2013 on felony conspiracy charges for forgery and petition fraud over his attempt to place Democrat presidential candidates including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the 2008 ballot. Owens served six months behind bars and three other Democrats also were convicted, the report explained.
The clerk told The Federalist, of the current case, "They thought, 'They’re never going to look.' That had to be the mindset. It’s like cheating on homework. What I know is we were doing our jobs. … I feel that’s the first line of defense in election integrity: do your job. If more people did, maybe we would see more of this stuff coming to light."
The Federalist reported, "Leftist groups and their allies in the accomplice media have long tried to silence stories of election fraud and related malfeasance, declaring such assertions are the fever dream of conspiracy theorists."
