A Connecticut official has been arrested and charged with voter fraud after she was caught illegally altering the voter registration information for mental health patients.
57-year-old Arlanda Brantley was arrested for voter registration fraud, according to police.
Brantley works with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
The arrest was announced by Torrington police Sgt. Kyle Johnson said in a news release.
Johnson said the arrest stems from an investigation opened in October when the Detective Division received a fraud complaint regarding voter registration cards that were altered.
On September 17, police were made aware of a fraud complaint regarding Republican voter registration cards that were changed to Democrat.
The fraud took place after a national voting event at the Western Connecticut Mental Health Network (WCMHN).
Brantley allegedly altered several voter registration cards.
She changed the affiliation party from “No” or “Republican” to “Democrat.”
Brantley turned herself in to the police after investigators began to connect the dots.
She was charged with five counts of fraudulent registration and five counts of primary or enrollment violations.
According to the Torrington Police Department, Brantley changed the affiliation party without the consent of the registrants.
She would then submit the voting registration cards to the office of the Registrar of Voter’s Clerk in Torrington.
When the clerk was inspecting the cards, it was then determined that the registration information had been altered.
The State of Elections Enforcement Commission and the Torrington Police Department were notified.
Investigators quickly identified Brantley as the suspect and an arrest warrant was granted.
Brantley was charged with a total of ten counts related to voter fraud.
She was then released from custody on a $10,000 surety bond.
The suspect is expected to appear at Torrington Superior Court on February 10.
WATCH:
Republican State Representative Joe Canino has released a statement following Brantley’s arrest.
“I am outraged to hear that a state employee was knowingly fabricating voter registration information without the consent of our registrants,” Canino said.
“What was meant to be a non-partisan, state-led, voter registration event, has now been tainted by Ms. Brantley’s illegal actions, which could have tainted the sanctity of Torrington elections.
“There is no room for election fraud in Connecticut,” he warned.
“Whether it’s this incident in Torrington, or down in Bridgeport where individuals were stuffing ballots into a drop box during the eleventh hour before an election, the bottom line is that voter fraud is happening in Connecticut.
“As the voice of Torrington, I will continue to fight for our residents who deserve honesty and transparency in our elections and accountability for these shameful actions.
“Through increased enforcement of election-related crimes, voter identification requirements, chain of custody requirements, and other proposals related to election security, my colleagues and I are committed to fixing gaps in our election laws that allow these incidents to take place.”
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