PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland, Oregon, man got probation and a talking-to from a judge after pleading guilty to trying to sell his 2020 presidential election ballot, along with some tennis shoes, on a mobile marketplace.
Josiah Bridges, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of illegal sale of election material during the rare prosecution for felony voter fraud in Multnomah County Circuit Court, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Bridges had listed the items for sale that fall on OfferUp. He told investigators he did it to pay his rent and because he didn’t like either presidential candidate, court documents said.
He didn’t think anyone would actually take him up on it, said Amy Seely, a special prosecutor for the Oregon Department of Justice.
Several concerned Oregonians reported the ballot offer to a tip line through the state Justice Department, so agents set up a sting and arrested Bridges at a Fred Meyer store in St. Johns, the court records show.
Bridges said he didn’t know it was illegal to sell a ballot.
He was sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service. Defense attorney Gayle Kvernland said Bridges has a steady job and hopes to become a hair stylist.
Senior Judge Kathleen Dailey waived fines and fees for Bridges and made him eligible to return to court if he successfully completes the probation to potentially lower the felony conviction to a misdemeanor.
