Delaware County, PA borough official sentenced for attempt to steal mayoral election

by Peter Hall, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
June 26, 2025

A federal judge sentenced a Delaware County elected official who admitted his role in an ultimately unsuccessful scheme to steal a mayoral election to nearly two years in prison.

Sentencing for Md Munsur Ali, 48, of Millbourne came about a week after U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III sentenced his two co-conspirators to federal prison.

In addition to 21 months behind bars, Bartle ordered Ali to serve a year of supervised release and pay a $2,500 special assessment. Ali, who remains a member of Millbourne Council, pleaded guilty in April to 25 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 12 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 12 counts of fraudulent voter registration.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, Ali and co-conspirators Md Nurul Hasan, 48, and Md Rafikul Islam, 52, also of Millbourne, agreed to fraudulently submit write-in votes to elect Hasan mayor, after he was knocked out of contention in the 2021 Democratic primary election. Hasan and Islam also pleaded guilty in April.

If you find yourself turning to our coverage more and more, please consider making a donation to strengthen our independent, nonprofit newsroom.

SUPPORT

Bartle sentenced Hasan, the former council vice president, to three years behind bars and Islam, a former member of council, to one year in prison.

“These defendants sabotaged the democratic will of their fellow citizens in deciding Millbourne’s next mayor,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said. “Public trust in the electoral process is critical, and my office is committed to ensuring that our elections remain free and fair. As this case shows, should we find instances of fraud, we won’t hesitate to prosecute those responsible.”

Hasan also faces prosecution in Delaware County Court for 16 counts each of unlawful voting, voting fraud and obstruction of government.

“Free and fair elections are the bedrock principle that defines American democracy. I appreciate the partnership between my office, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring these criminals to justice,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement.

The investigation began after the winner of the race, Mayor Mahabubul A. Tayub raised concerns about non-residents who had registered to vote in Millbourne before the election, Stollsteimer said.

Stollsteimer said in March that his office has investigated and filed charges in four election fraud cases since he took office in 2020.

“In each case the fraud was aided by failures in our current election system,” Stollsteimer said. “I understand the desire to allow people easy access to participate in our democracy through the use of modern technology, but in my opinion our legislature should be putting safeguards in place to address the issues raised in these prosecutions.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office: After his 2021 primary loss, Hasan decided he would run for mayor as a write-in candidate in the November election. Ali and Islam agreed to support him, prosecutors said. 

To do this, all three worked to obtain the personal information of people who did not live in Millbourne and used it to fraudulently register them to vote in the borough at various addresses using the commonwealth’s online voter-registration system, prosecutors said.

They then used the voter registration website to request vote-by-mail ballots that were sent to the addresses used to create the fraudulent voter registrations. Hasan, Islam and Ali retrieved the mail-in ballots from mailboxes at the addresses, completed them with write-in votes for Hasan and returned them to the county board of elections to be counted, prosecutors said.

 

Every morning get our top stories right in your inbox. Subscribe to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s Morning Guide now.

SUBSCRIBE

Hasan and Ali persuaded acquaintances who lived outside Millbourne to provide their personal information to carry out the fraud and assured them they would not get into trouble if they didn’t try to vote anywhere else. They also obtained personal information from other sources, including Hasan’s business, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. 

Islam allowed Hasan to use his email addresses to submit fraudulent voter registrations and request ballots through the state website.

In total, Hasan, Ali and Islam conspired to falsely register and submit ballots for nearly three dozen non-Millbourne residents as Millbourne voters. Hasan lost the election by a vote of 165-138, prosecutors said. Millbourne is a municipality with about 1,200 residents that borders the Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.