Two persons, including a Webster Parish resident, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on fraudulent voting charges, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
Bridget Johnson, a 53-year-old Cotton Valley resident, is indicted for fraudulent voter registration and voting by an alien, and 52-year-old Michael Wedderburn of Jamaica was indicted for voting by an alien.
According to court documents, Johnson was a resident of Webster Parish and a candidate in the 2024 election for mayor of Cotton Valley. Wedderburn is a non‑citizen alien in the United States and was ineligible to vote in Louisiana elections.
On July 14, 2024, Johnson allegedly completed and electronically submitted a Louisiana voter registration application in Wedderburn’s name, falsely stating that he was a United States citizen.
The indictment also alleges that Wedderburn went on to vote illegally in the November 5, 2024, election for a federal office and in the Cotton Valley mayoral race. Johnson lost the mayor’s race to Bruce Lee, Jr. by a substantial margin.
Johnson and Wedderburn were indicted by the federal grand jury on Sept. 9.
If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and Wedderburn faces a maximum penalty of one year, along with additional financial penalties.
“Protecting the integrity of Louisiana’s elections—and our national elections—is essential to protecting our constitutional republic,” Keller said. “The right to vote is sacred. When individuals undermine that process through fraud or abuse, they threaten the public’s confidence in a fair and lawful election system. Our Office will continue to safeguard the sanctity of the vote and hold accountable those who violate our laws.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case with assistance from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.
An indictment is only an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.