West Valley man gets probation after voting illegally in 6 elections

PHOENIX – A West Valley man was sentenced Friday to probation and a fine after voting illegally in multiple elections, authorities said.

U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich sentenced Joseph John Marak of Surprise to 30 months of supervised probation and a $2,400 penalty for lying on his voter registration application, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said in a press release.

Marak, 62, pleaded guilty to one felony count of submission of a materially false voter registration application in January.

When he applied, he indicated he wasn’t a convicted felon even though he’d been convicted of 18 felonies in North Carolina and sentenced to six years in prison in 2011.

“Voting is a crucial civil right, and exercising one’s voice is a key part of a felon’s reentry to society,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in the release.

“But there are rules: If you wish to vote in Arizona following a felony conviction, please speak first with your local county recorder to fully understand the process for restoring your voting rights.”

Marak admitted to voting in six federal elections from 2016 to 2020 based on his fraudulent application, according to the release.

“This is the second voter fraud case we’ve charged in the last year, and the first arising out of the 2020 election cycle,” Restaino said.

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