Former St. Joseph County Democratic Chairman Sentenced To One Year In Prison For Role In Obama Petition-Forging Scheme

The former head of the St. Joseph Co. Democratic Party, Butch Morgan, who was found guilty this spring of directing a scheme by Democratic voter registration workers to forge the names of Democratic voters on the 2008 presidential nominating petitions of Barack Obama, has received a one-year prison sentence. Morgan will have to spend another year in community corrections following his one-year prison term. Two years of his sentence has been suspended according to the South Bend Tribune.

Morgan's co-conspirators received no prison sentences for their convictions. Bev Shelton and Pam Brunette, who pleaded guilty rather than stand trial, received two years of probation. Morgan's co-defendant, Dustin Blythe, will serve a one-year sentence in community corrections. According to prosecutors, Blythe, Brunette and Shelton carried out their crimes at the direction of Morgan.

This case has been largely ignored by the national media despite its implications. Without the forged signatures, Barack Obama would have failed to make the Indiana primary ballot in 2008, which turned out to be a very hotly-contested primary race won by Hillary Clinton by the slimmest of margins. Obama's showing was good enough to split the delegates allotted to Indiana almost evenly and helped propel him to the Democratic nomination narrowly over Clinton. If he had not made it on the primary ballot in Indiana in 2008, he may well have lost the Democratic nomination to Clinton.