Couple pleads guilty to conspiring to commit voter registration fraud in Minnesota

Sarah Nelson, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jul 8, 2025

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A couple charged in a conspiracy to commit election fraud has pleaded guilty to filling out hundreds of voter applications with fictitious identities that were submitted to county election offices in Minnesota.

Ronnie Williams, 58, of Nevada and formerly of Minnesota, was convicted Tuesday of conspiracy to engage in voter registration fraud in the U.S. District Court in St. Paul. His co-conspirator, Lorraine Lee Combs, 57, pleaded guilty to the same charge late June.

The couple was accused of creating hundreds of voter registration forms filled with fake names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers from 2021 through 2022. The couple turned in the applications to a foundation seeking to register voters in Minnesota, which paid for the forms. The foundation is not identified in court filings.

Charging documents described one false application sent by Combs in September 2022 under the name “Brad Montly.” One month later, Williams sent in a fraudulent application under the name “Harry Jhonson.”

As part of the work, the couple was required to sign a form certifying that providing false information in the forms carried a felony charge that could lead to a imprisonment of up to five years or a $10,000 fine, or both.

Sentencing hearings for Combs and Williams have not been scheduled.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees elections, previously told the Star Tribune that no fraudulent ballots were cast in the estimated 10 to 15 counties where the couple’s applications were submitted during the scheme.

“For more than two years, our office and local election officials have partnered with the FBI on this investigation. Local election officials used the verification tools built into the Minnesota voter registration system and identified inconsistencies on voter registration forms,” the office said in a statement.

A fingerprint analysis by the FBI showed the couple’s fingerprints on several of the fraudulent applications, court filings said.

“Today’s guilty plea underscores our commitment to protecting the integrity of the electoral process,” acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said. “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. Any attempt to undermine that process through fraud will be investigated and prosecuted. This case sends a clear message — election fraud will not be tolerated in Minnesota.”

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