A former U.S. Postal Service employee from Mesa County, Colorado, has admitted to stealing and fraudulently casting mail-in ballots during the 2024 presidential election.
Vicki Stuart, 64, entered a guilty plea on May 5 to charges of identity theft and forgery.
The charges stem from a scheme in which Stuart, along with her associate, Sally Jane Maxedon, intercepted mail-in ballots intended for voters, forged signatures, and submitted them as legitimate votes.
The duo claimed their actions were intended to test the state’s signature verification system.
According to court documents, at least 12 ballots were stolen, with three successfully bypassing the signature verification process and being counted in the election results.
The fraudulent activity came to light when voters reported receiving notifications that their ballots had been processed, despite not having received or cast them.
Stuart, who was serving as a substitute mail carrier at the time, used her position to identify and withhold ballots from delivery. She then collaborated with Maxedon, who filled out the ballots and forged the necessary signatures.
As part of the deal, Stuart’s maximum time in prison would be no more than nine years.
KDVR reported:
In a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes, Vicki Stuart – one of two suspects in last year’s election fraud case – pled guilty for her role in the scheme.
As part of the plea hearing, Stuart had 32 counts dropped. But she pled guilty to one count of identity theft and forgery, respectively. Stuart’s other charges included an attempt to influence a public servant.
Stuart said she doesn’t dispute charges, telling Judge Brian Flynn, “I feel guilty for the part I played.”
Stuart and her friend, Sally Maxedon, were accused of stealing residents’ ballots, filling them out before turning them in to the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
According to the original arrest affidavit, the pair wanted to “test” the voting signature systems. Stuart worked at the United States Postal Service, and it’s believed she took the ballots from USPS for Maxedon to fill out.
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