Felony election fraud charges against Hamtramck City Council member Muhtasin Sadman were dropped after key witnesses did not appear in court. Sadman had faced allegations of forging absentee ballot signatures and helping ineligible voters in the 2023 election. Monroe County Assistant Prosecutor Ragan Lake said the charges were dismissed because the witnesses, though subpoenaed, did not attend, according to The Detroit News.
Sadman, who was first charged with five felonies, now faces a single misdemeanor for a false statement on an absentee ballot application, with a pretrial in November. Councilman Mohammed Hassan faces similar charges and will appear in court. The cases come from an investigation by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office after the city clerk noticed unusual absentee ballot activity, as reported by ClickOnDetroit.
The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office handled a case involving Sadman, Councilman Hassan, and others in an absentee ballot scheme. The felony charges against Sadman were dismissed "without prejudice," allowing for possible future legal action, as mentioned by CBS News Detroit. A misdemeanor charge against Sadman remains. The case occurred during a period of city governance changes, including suspensions and firings.
