DOJ: alleged conduct ‘undermines the integrity of our elections’
A federal grand jury has indicted a former U.S. Postal Service worker from Payson, Utah, on charges he allegedly discarded about 300 mail-in ballots ahead of the state’s June 23 primary election. The Justice Department unsealed the indictment Tuesday at the arraignment of Damon Matai Seei, 34, at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City.
Seei faces one count of unlawful secretion, destruction and delay of mail. He was indicted by the grand jury last Wednesday, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30.
According to a detention memo filed by Justice Department officials, Seei said in an interview that he threw the ballots and other mail into a dumpster in a church parking lot on June 3 to “lighten his workload.” In a written statement, Seei said he felt “overwhelmed” that day and decided to “get rid of advertisement mail.” Seei told investigators he had no political agenda and did not intend to discard ballots, the memo said, characterizing the act as a “poor decision” made out of “frustration” and “laziness.”
The discarded ballots were intended for Eagle Mountain, Utah, residents to allow them to vote in the state’s June 23 primary election.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in a statement: “When American voters lawfully cast their vote, they should feel confident that it is counted. Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections. Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.”
The indictment was unsealed days after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s plans to limit mail-in voting for the November midterm elections. President Donald Trump has alleged, without evidence, an epidemic of voter fraud, particularly in mail-in voting.