Man accused of submitting false signatures for ballot

Associated Press

Published Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 | 11:42 a.m.

Updated Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 | 1:48 p.m.

A 55-year-old Las Vegas man was arrested on felony charges that he submitted false signatures to try to qualify Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein for the November ballot, authorities said.

Renaldo Johnson was in jail Monday on $75,000 bail following his arrest Friday in a December indictment. He is charged with petition misconduct, unlawful use of personal information and perjury, Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said.

It wasn't clear from court or jail records if Johnson had a lawyer, and calls to a telephone number that may be associated with him didn't connect. He is due in Clark County District Court on Feb. 7, a court clerk said.

Stein didn't qualify for the ballot. Hillary Clinton won Nevada's electoral votes but lost the presidency.

His arrest in a case stemming from petition signature-gathering came two days after Cegavske and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said they knew of no evidence that anyone voted illegally last November. They were responding to President Donald Trump, who said he believes millions of people in the nation voted illegally.

Cegavske reported one arrest last July of a 45-year-old woman who officials said helped register voters outside a Wal-Mart store in rural Pahrump. Tina Marie Parks pleaded guilty to a low-level felony voter registration offense. Her sentencing is set for March 17.

The secretary of state says authorities are continuing to investigate claims of voter registration irregularities but knows of no illegally cast ballots.