Did one of the Intell Five vote twice in Presidential Election?!?

While this is a 5thEstate.com exclusive, I can't imagine who else is going to cover this story! Editor Ron Harper, Jr.

February 12, 2007

Could things get any worse for Lancaster Newspapers? Hold on to your hats because public records show a troublesome trail for Intell Crime reporter Brett Lovelace one of the 5 Intell reporters named as "uncharged co-conspirators" in what has come to be known as "Passwordgate."

According the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Grand Jury report, Lovelace and 4 other Intell Reporters worked in concert with the Lancaster County Coroner to commit "the offenses of Criminal Conspiracy to commit Unlawful Use of Computers, 18 Pa. C.S. §903 and Unlawful Use of Computers, 18 Pa. C.S. §7611(a)(1)(2)."

Please take the time to read the entire Grand Jury report which describes in detail the illegal actions of the Intell 5! (Click Here)

Did Lovelace know he was breaking the law? Even though Lovelace was granted immunity from prosecution, the Grand Jury felt he wasn’t credible when asked about that very question. The report reads as follows:

"Lovelace denied that he knew he was not authorized to be on the website but could not explain why he did not simply ask website administrator Todd Zimmerman to restore his access to the website rather than repeatedly asking Kirchner to intervene with Zimmerman. The grand jury does not find Lovelace credible on this last point."

A quick check of public records showed that in addition to a half a dozen charges of driving without inspection or driving without a registered car, Lovelace committed perjury when he registered to vote on February 5, 2004. The signed voter registration card, obtained from Lancaster County's Voter Registration Office, asks for the "Address of Residence" under the section that reads,"I HEREBY DECLARE THAT….if the registration contains a materially false statement, I will be subject to the penalties for perjury"!

And just where does the 32-year-old man claim to live? At 8 West King Street, the building which houses Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.! It may feel like you live there, Mr. Lovelace, but you don't! A quick check confirmed that 8 West King street has no apartments in it! Lovelace also declared that he lived in Lancaster City for at least 30 days and that he is "legally qualified to vote"! It must not be too worrisome for Intell Editor Charles Raymond Shaw - When asked about Lovelace's residential declaration, Shaw said, "I don’t have anything to say to you!" and hung up the phone!

It’s bad enough that Lovelace gave a false home address. But it gets worse. According to election records filed with the Lancaster County Voter Registration Office, Lovelace voted in SIX elections where he doesn't live. However, the election that was most interesting was the November 2004 Presidential Election and Lancaster City Mayoral election which Lovelace voted at Carter & MacRae School.

As if voting for officials that don't represent you in locations where you do not live isn’t bad enough … you won’t believe what else 5thEstate.com uncovered about Lovelace in Cecil County, Maryland.

According to Official Voter Registration records filed in Cecil County, not only was Brett Edward Lovelace with the EXACT same birth date of January 14, 1975 registered to vote in Rising Sun, Maryland but on November 2, 2004, voter records confirmed that Lovelace, voted there IN PERSON! This is in addition to voting IN PERSON in Lancaster City that same day!

Cecil County records also showed that Lovelace was sent a postcard on two occasions in 2002 declaring, "We have received information that your address has changed. ... If you have received this notice and you live outside Maryland, please return this card with the new information. Your registration in Cecil County will be canceled." According to voting records from York County, Lovelace was voting in York, Pennsylvania at the time he received the postcard. Again, according to Cecil County records, Lovelace NEVER canceled his registration even though he has officially lived in Pennsylvania - and declared primary residence here - since 2000. (Click Here to view example of postcard sent to Lovelace)

Just what does Lovelace say about the allegations? Last Thursday he returned a call made to the newspaper office on his cell phone to berate and verbally accost 5thEstate.com’s editor and then declared that he had no comment. Sunday afternoon, 5thEstate.com’s editor Ron Harper Jr along with a witness, made the 68 mile round trip from Lancaster to Rising Sun, Maryland to see if Lovelace’s declared residence in Maryland was a business, too. Harper and his witness stopped at a small country store about a block from the address to get their bearings.

After seeing the store had "rock salt", 5thEstate.com’s witness decided to buy some for the coming big snow and went into the store. Harper, who was delayed coming into the store because he was parking the car, stopped just outside the door when he heard a bellowing voice from 60 feet away. "HARPER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" In what has to be an amazing coincidence, Brett Lovelace showed up at the Rising Sun store right behind Harper.

The store was a mere 500 feet from the address listed on Lovelace's Cecil County Voter Registration! Aggressively charging up to Harper along with Brett was his twin brother Brad! The Lovelace boys both screamed and yelled at Harper declaring that he had no right to be there and that they were going to have him arrested for trespassing - for stopping at a public store!! The store apparently belonged to Brett’s grandparents! Harper walked from the store back to his car to get his video camera while his witness was shopping in the country store apparently owned by Grandma and Grandpa.

The Lovelace brothers were not happy with Harper's presence in Maryland. While threatening to call the police, Brad Lovelace got within inches of Harper’s face, and when Harper told him to back away from his car so he could leave, Brad Lovelace said menacingly, "I’m going to drop you!"

After the rock salt was put into the car and Harper and his witness were safely in the vehicle, Brett Lovelace grabbed the door of the car and began to lecture Harper. Part of the video, shown courtesy of YouTube.com, has Lovelace's parting and threatening words.

What will Lancaster Newspapers do with this situation? Where in the world does Lovelace live? According to Lancaster Newspaper records, Lovelace married another newspaper employee May 22, 2005. She has since then changed her registration to a Lititz, PA apartment.

Interestingly, Lovelace has denied that he voted twice in the same election and has not explained why he remains a registered Republican in Rising Sun, Maryland and Democrat in Lancaster, PA.

Wonder why the papers didn't follow up on the similar situation that caused the resignation of former District Judge Richard Musser? Perhaps the topic was a little too close for comfort? According to Pennsylvania Law (click to read it at the Pennsylvania Department of State) ,

PENALTY FOR FALSIFYING REGISTRATION DECLARATION WARNING If a person signs an official registration application knowing a statement declared in the application to be false, makes a false registration, or furnishes false information, the person commits perjury. Perjury is punishable, upon conviction, by a terms of imprisonment not exceeding seven years, or a fine not exceeding $15,000, or both, at the discretion of the court. Submitting an application containing false information may also subject a person to other penalties, including loss of the right of suffrage, under state or federal law.

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