AUGUSTA — An Oakland man will spend 10 days in the alternative sentencing program for forging his son and daughter’s names on absentee ballot materials.

Byron L. Wrigley Jr., 50, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Kennebec County Superior Court to three misdemeanor charges of forging absentee ballots.

In February, Wrigley was indicted by a grand jury in Kennebec County on three felony counts of forging the name of another on an absentee ballot, the return envelope, or the application for an absentee ballot.

The offenses occurred between Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, 2010, on materials submitted for the November 2010 general election.

“This was obviously a huge mistake on Mr. Wrigley’s part and he felt just terrible about it,” said his attorney, Walter McKee. “It has been haunting him for months.”

According to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General, Wrigley’s son was unaware an absentee ballot was being cast in his name in Oakland when he voted in person in Orono, where he was a student. The Secretary of State’s Office identified the dual voting violation and referred the case to the Office of the Attorney General.

In the other instance, Wrigley forged his daughter’s name on an absentee ballot or absentee ballot return envelope, according to the indictment.

“Election-related fraud has serious consequences,” Attorney General William Schneider in the statement. “Every instance of absentee ballot forgery harms all the voters of Maine. We will vigilantly safeguard the integrity of the voting process and deter others who may be tempted to engage in similar conduct.”

The case was investigated by the attorney general’s investigations unit and prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Michael J. Colleran and Leanne Robbin.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

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