The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has charged an Allegheny County man with forging dozens of signatures to help get a congressional candidate on the ballot for the 2022 primary election.
Kirk Rice, 64, was charged with 33 counts of identity theft and 33 counts of forgery, along with other alleged offenses, according to a criminal complaint.
Mr. Rice was trying to collect signatures to get Democrat Steve Irwin on the ballot for the 12th Congressional District, which includes Pittsburgh, eastern and southeastern portions of Allegheny County, and part of Westmoreland County. Mr. Irwin, who was not accused of any wrongdoing, lost the Democratic primary to Summer Lee, who went on to win the seat in last year’s general election.
According to the complaint, authorities were tipped off when the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh received an email from United States District Magisterial Judge Cathy Bissoon, who said her forged personal information and signature were found on a nominating petition for Mr. Irwin. Ms. Bissoon denied ever signing a petition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. The FBI informed the state Attorney General’s office, which began an investigation.
Mr. Irwin told the Attorney General’s office that Mr. Rice was a “paid circulator” who earned $3 per signature, and ultimately earned $1,340, according to the complaint. He added that his campaign hired attorneys to look into the matter. But upon further investigation by the Attorney General’s office, Mr. Rice allegedly submitted multiple petitions with the same address but with different names, and some people who had signatures on petitions he circulated lived outside of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office said in a statement that Mr. Rice appeared to forge or falsify many of the 437 signatures he collected.
Mr. Rice has yet to comment on the allegations.
“At the foundation of our democracy are free and fair elections, and this defendant is charged with undermining that essential process,” Ms. Henry said in a statement. “Instead of working to obtain legal signatures, the defendant allegedly took the easy way out and falsified much of the information that secured a ballot spot for the candidate he represented. This case is a reminder that interfering with Pennsylvania’s election process is a very serious matter and will always be treated that way by this office.”
First Published: December 8, 2023, 4:09 p.m.
Updated: December 9, 2023, 6:50 p.m.
