Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has announced the indictment of Anthony Harris for submitting falsified petition signatures during the 2024 general election. Harris, born in June 1971, registered as a circulator in April 2024 despite having past convictions that made him ineligible to work as a petition signature gatherer.
An investigation revealed that Harris submitted dozens of forged signatures to place Proposition 139, known as the Arizona Abortion Access Act, on the November ballot. However, these fraudulent signatures did not affect the initiative’s qualification for the ballot. Proposition 139 had sufficient valid signatures and was successfully passed.
Harris faces several charges including one count of aggravated taking identity of another, a class three felony; one count of fraudulent schemes and practices with willful concealment, a class five felony; one count of circulator registration violation, a class one misdemeanor; and ten counts of petition false signature, also classified as misdemeanors.
The statement clarified that “a criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”
