In a shocking case of corruption, Hamtramck, MI, councilmen Mohammed Kamrul Hassan and Muhtasin Rahman Sadman have been slapped with a bevy of felony and misdemeanor charges for alleged voter fraud during the 2023 elections.
For context, Prosecutor Jeffrey Yorkey, who was appointed after AG Dana Nessel recused herself, pointed to numerous examples of forged absentee ballot applications and widespread measures to aid unqualified voters. Reacting to these allegations with tired race-baiting, Sadman dismissed the charges as “made-up” to tarnish the Muslim and Bangladeshi populations. Similarly, Hassan complained about damage to his reputation.
The sweeping charges stem from an investigation into accusations of absentee ballot fraud, where candidates are alleged to have paid for ballots. Additional investigations are ongoing into the residency of the two controversial politicians.
In any case, Jeffrey Yorkey explained how the changes were only made after “An exhaustive review of law enforcement’s findings.” Describing the alleged actions of Muhtasin Rahman Sadman, he stated, “Sadman forged an absentee ballot application with the intent to defraud and aided or counseled two unqualified electors to vote in the 2023 election.”
Turning to Mohammed Kamrul Hassan, the other man at the center of this scandal, Yorkey claimed, “Hassan forged an absentee ballot application with the intent to defraud in the 2023 election for City Council.”Adding more details, the intrepid investigator noted, “Several law enforcement agencies conducted thorough investigations and submitted their findings to our office.”
Reacting to the damning tide of evidence pointing to his corruption, Sadman tried to paint the investigators as racist. He whined that the charges were “Fully made-up, to make our community, the Muslim and Bangladeshi community, look bad.” Continuing his childish response, the disgraced official promised to fight. He vowed, “It’s a made-up case. We’ll fight.”
The alleged co-conspirator, similarly, seemed unable to accept any responsibility. Mohammed Kamrul Hassan complained about the damage to his social standing, saying, “The allegations of corruption in Hamtramck have hurt my reputation in my workplace. … It destroyed my face value.” He also blamed the media for covering the scandal in a poorly worded rant. Hassan said that reporters do “Not disclose what is not truth. … Don’t tell corruption, corruption, corruption.”
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Summarizing the scandal, a state assistant attorney general described the allegations concisely. The official declared, “Some Hamtramck City Council candidates were paying recently naturalized citizens for their absentee ballots in order to fill them out for them.”
Issuing an evasive statement to local media, Hamtramck Mayor Ghalib said, “The case is in legal counsel and a non-biased (sic) third-party investigation is about to be underway. We made sure all parties included in this investigation are out of City Hall on paid administrative leave, to ensure impartiality and to avoid bias.”
Continuing, the mayor noted, “Anyone can say anything and sue for anything at this time, but the truth will be revealed soon and it will dominate the noise. Whoever is clear will be reinstated to his job, and whoever is guilty will face the consequences,” adding, “Our job is to ensure fair and transparent non-bias (sic) investigation, and then we will take actions based on the outcomes.”