PHX Reporter

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has announced the indictment of Michele Lee Brimmer on charges related to election petition fraud. The charges include one count of Fraudulent Schemes and Practices, four counts of Forgery, and nine counts of False Signature on a Petition.

Brimmer was working as a petition signature gatherer for Proposition 139, the Right to Abortion Initiative, which appeared on the 2024 election ballot. An investigation revealed that several signatures submitted by Brimmer were from individuals who denied signing the petition and did not recognize the signatures.

County Attorney Mitchell emphasized that despite these fraudulent signatures, they did not affect the initiative's qualification for the ballot. "I want to make it clear that the number of signatures we are talking about would not have made a difference as to whether this proposition got on the ballot," said Mitchell. She added, "That said, we are talking about a case that involved fraudulent signatures placed on an election petition. That is a crime, and it undermines public trust in elections. It will not be tolerated and those who engage in such conduct will be held accountable."

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and Brimmer is presumed innocent until proven guilty.