Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays said a state grand jury will indict Cochise County residents on criminal charges including filing false documents, signing petition violations, and fraudulent planning and practices to qualify for 2022 candidacy. announced that it did. selection.

Brent Thomas Cusama of the City of Huachuca filed a letter of intent to run for the Constable election on June 17, 2021 at Cochise County No. 5 Precinct. A grand jury accused Kusama of using a nomination petition with a forged signature to qualify for election. 2022 election. The jury alleges that these wrongdoings occurred between July 2021 and April 2022.

An indictment handed down by a grand jury on April 17, 2023 contains nine felony counts against Kusama. He has been charged with one count of fraudulent planning and practice, which carries a maximum sentence of two and a half years in prison and a fine of $150,000. The eight counts of false device presentation carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison each. If convicted, Kusama could face nearly 20 years in prison.

Kusama allegedly completed verification of the backs of eight petitions on March 28, 2022, acknowledging that the fronts contained false or falsified information about electors. .

The indictment lists two charges of violating the signature of the petition, among which Mr. Kusama was accused of “signing the nomination petition knowing that it was someone else’s name” under the name “John Hinkey”. ing.Both of these counts Class 1 misdemeanoreach sentenced to a maximum of six months in prison.

However, Kusama’s name never appeared on the ballot. According to the agency’s report, herald/reviewHe withdrew his candidacy in April 2022 after 194 of the 263 signatures he collected were challenged by opposition Republican Melissa Wirthlin. Wirthlin was the sole constable candidate for the 5th Precinct in the 2022 general election, winning the seat with 76.7% of the vote.

Kusama’s first trial date is July 7 at Cochise County Superior Court.