Looking Back at the Maryland “John Doe” Voter Fraud Incident

The following is part of a series of articles which RFHC will be covering related to historical news and elections. This story looks at the unusual case of a person in the country illegally using a stolen identity to commit voter fraud.

In an unusual case from several years ago, an individual identified only as “John Doe” was arrested for fraudulently voting utilizing a stolen identity. The events, which unfolded in Federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, shed light on a sophisticated scheme of identity theft and voter fraud that occurred leading up to the 2016 Presidential Election.

“John Doe,” whose true identity remains a mystery to this day, lived under an assumed identity for approximately twenty years, beginning in the late 1990s. Utilizing the personal information of another individual born in the United States Virgin Islands, Doe successfully obtained various official documents, including driver’s licenses, a United States passport, and a Social Security card. These documents enabled him to establish a false identity and participate in fraudulent activities, including voting.

During a trial that lasted five days, evidence emerged detailing the extent of Doe’s deception. He falsely claimed to be Cheyenne Moody Davis, fabricating military service and producing counterfeit military identification during an interview with Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) investigators. Further investigation revealed that Doe had purchased military-related items online, including dog tags and patches bearing the name “Cheyenne M Davis.”

Social media also played a role in uncovering the defendant’s fraudulent activities. Doe’s posts suggested a military affiliation and employment at Fort Meade military base in Maryland, claims that were disproven by the U.S. Army. It was confirmed that military police are not trained at the locations Doe mentioned, adding another layer to his elaborate deception.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the case was Doe’s involvement in the 2016 Presidential Election. By using the stolen identity, he cast a vote in a manner that compromised the integrity of the electoral process, underscoring the vulnerabilities within the system. Maryland does not require photo identification when voting.

In May of 2018, Doe was sentenced to 42 months in prison by United States District Judge Ellen L. Hollander. Despite the resolution of the case, the true identity of “John Doe” remains a mystery. Authorities have appealed to the public for assistance in identifying him, providing descriptions and potential aliases, but with no results. According to evidence presented during the trial, Doe may have ties to several Caribbean nations and would have been in his early twenties when he vanished from his community in June of 1997.

According to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research and educational institution, to date there have been a total of 1,500 proven instances of voter fraud in the United States, with 1,276 criminal convictions.

Story by multiple RFHC contributors

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