Delco councilman sentenced to federal prison for role in conspiracy to steal mayoral election
A federal judge told Md Munsur Ali that he was part of an "assault on democracy" by helping register more than three dozen people to vote fraudulently in Millbourne.
For his role in what a federal judge described as “an assault on democracy," a small-town Delaware County official was sentenced Thursday to 21 months in prison.
Millbourne Borough council member Md Munsur Ali, 48, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy, fraudulent voter registration, and related crimes for participating in an ultimately unsuccessful plot to rig the borough’s 2021 mayoral election on behalf of his colleague Md Nurul Hasan.
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III rebuked Ali, saying that his actions constituted a violation of the oath he took when he became a naturalized citizen 21 years ago.
“It is important for the court do whatever it can to deter this type of crime,” Bartle said. “This country depends on people respecting our laws, and there is no greater law that we must respect than those protecting our elections.”
Ali, a native of Bangladesh, wept as he apologized for his actions, saying he felt “humbled and humiliated” in front of his family and community.
“I am extremely sorry for my actions, and I admit my guilt in this matter,” Ali said. “There is no excuse for my behavior.”
Ali’s attorney, Spencer Wertheimer, had asked Bartle for leniency, asking that Ali be allowed to serve his sentence on house arrest. Wertheimer said Ali is the sole breadwinner for his wife, two sons, and ailing father-in-law, and has health issues including a kidney disorder.
But Bartle was not swayed, and ordered Ali to report to federal prison on Aug. 15 for his role in Hasan’s fraud.
Hasan, who was sentenced last week to three years in federal prison, recruited Ali and another man, Md Rafikul Islam, to falsely register people living elsewhere to vote in Millbourne in support of Hasan.
(Islam also pleaded guilty, and was sentenced last week to one year and one day in prison.)
As part of the scheme, Ali persuaded friends to provide him with their driver’s licenses or other legal documents, and used Pennsylvania’s online voter system to change the registration address to residences in Millbourne.
When federal investigators contacted one of those newly registered voters, the person called Ali in front of the detectives, and Ali encouraged the person to lie about the scheme, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dubnoff, who prosecuted the case.
Ultimately, despite generating more than three dozen fraudulent votes, Hasan lost to Millbourne Mayor Mahbubul A. Tayub, who attended Thursday’s hearing.
Even after his defeat, Hasan remained on the borough council, serving as its vice president, until mounting pressure forced him to resign in May. Ali, however, has refused to give up his seat on the borough council, and told Judge Bartle on Thursday that he plans to serve out the remainder of his term, which is up in December.
Former Millbourne mayor Tom Kramer, who uncovered the voter fraud shortly after the election, testified Thursday that he and his neighbors are concerned that Ali is still involved in legislative decisions in Millbourne, especially after admitting to trying to topple an election.
Among those decisions, Kramer said, was deciding who filled two vacancies on the council after other members recently resigned.
“It’s hard for some people not to feel resentment after the last four years,” Kramer said of Ali. “But I don’t feel resentful. I just feel sorry for him.”