Lawmaker’s Uncle Pleads Guilty to Election Fraud May 14, 2013

(AP) – The uncle of a Democratic Missouri lawmaker has pleaded guilty to voter fraud in an election that his nephew won by a single vote.

John Moretina pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to giving false information when registering and voting. Moretina lived in Gladstone but admitted to giving a false address in July 2010 that allowed him to vote in the 40th House District where his nephew John Rizzo was a candidate.

Rizzo defeated Will Royster by a single vote in the August 2010 Democratic primary. Royster alleged voter fraud at the time but an appeals court rejected his request for a new election.

Rizzo won re-election last year and remains in the Missouri House. He said Tuesday that he had not been contacted by authorities about his uncle’s activities.

Rizzo Election Investigation on Life Support March 3, 2011

Jason Noble from the KC Star is reporting on the Prime Buzz website that the  investigation into State Rep John Rizzo is  fizzling out.

Rizzo won a last summer’s Northeast Kansas City Democrat primary by one vote over Will Royster. Royster challenged the primary in court, but lost.

At the start of the legislative session, House sPeaker Steve Tilley named a committee to check the story out.

Here’s Noble’s report:

The chairman of a special committee looking into alleged irregularities in a Kansas City state-representative race expressed doubt Thursday that the investigation would go forward.

Rep. Tim Jones, a Eureka Republican, is leading the special standing committee on election contests, which was formed in January to investigate a complaint filed by unsuccessful Democratic candidate Will Royster.

Royster lost the August, 2010, primary for the 40th House District seat in Kansas City to John Joseph Rizzo, who went on to win the seat. He challenged the primary result in circuit and appeals courts, alleging irregularities and fraud.

His case was thrown out, however, leading him to file the House complaint. The House has wide latitude to discipline or even expel wayward members.

The committee has not met on the issue, however, but for the last several weeks Jones said he and committee members have reviewed the court documents produced regarding the issue.

“No one from the committee has come to me with any further inquiries or questions,” he said.

The Kansas City Star reporter who inquired on Thursday morning was the first person to raise the matter in more than a month, Jones said.

At this point, Jones said, he planned to meet individually with other committee members to gauge their interest in holding a formal hearing and advancing the issue.

“At this point I don’t see that it’s going to be a major, complicated issue,” he said.