HARRISBURG, Pa.–A Harrisburg woman is facing charges after admitting to forging the names of three people on a petition to get Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse re-elected, according to the criminal complaint.
Barbara A. Lee, 49, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of forgery, identity theft and perjury/election code.
Lee was employed by the Papenfuse campaign as a canvass lead from February through March 2017, according to court documents.
A woman called the Dauphin County Board of Elections after she and her husband received a letter from Eric Papenfuse, thanking the couple for their support and signing his petition to get his name on the ballot for the upcoming May primary. After receiving copy of the petition, the woman said she was surprised to see their signatures on the document because they were in Florida at the time, court documents state.
A third man, who works for the city, also came forward and told investigators his name was forged and he did not sign the petition.
Investigators say the signatures on the back of the petition were notarized by Lee on March 6.
Lee was interviewed and confessed to forging three names on the petition, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15.
FOX43 News has reached out to Mayor Papenfuses’ campaign for comment and has yet to hear back.
