In November, 2022, Milwaukee Elections Fee Deputy Director Kimberly Zapata made the news for getting accused of committing election fraud. Especially, she was charged with a person felony rely of misconduct of business and three counts of election fraud, when she used a town laptop or computer to fraudulently ask for a few military absentee ballots less than fictitious names.
On Wednesday, just after a 3-day listening to, Zapata was convicted, which is not stunning. She did not testify in her protection, nor did she call any witnesses. By way of her lawyer, Daniel Adams, she tried out to claim stress from harassment from election deniers and to act as a whistle blower:
“What did she notify us? She explained to us that she fabricated 3 people for the reason of acquiring ballots issued, that she did this on her notebook, in a laptop or computer issued by the town, that she did this employing the WisVote method to achieve the address that she experienced the ballot despatched to,” Westphal informed the jury.
Zapata’s attorney, Daniel Adams, explained she was serving as a whistleblower–highlighting loopholes in the Wisconsin electoral procedure.
“Kim Zapata’s functions were being pushed by strain they were not perfect in any way,” he said. “What she did was act to illuminate a hole amongst the American excellent of a fantastic democracy and the info as they are, which is there is a gap, a flaw, in Wisconsin’s electoral system. Which is it.”
Nonetheless, intent is not a element and the only thing that mattered was she broke the law. Ironically, she also unsuccessful to be a whistleblower as that the system worked as it was meant to. And for all her effort and hard work the only factors she can demonstrate for it is up to $thirteen,000 in fines and/or five a long time in jail.