Saginaw City Council member Monique Lamar-Silvia and former council candidate Eric Eggleston are set to stand trial in Saginaw County's 10th Circuit Court. The Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, announced that both individuals face multiple felony charges related to allegedly forged signatures on a nominating petition for the November 2024 general election.
Eggleston faces charges of conspiracy to do a legal act in an illegal manner, election law forgery, and signing a nominating petition as a circulator when he was not the circulator. Lamar-Silvia is charged with conspiracy to do a legal act in an illegal manner, election law forgery, signing a nominating petition with multiple names, and signing with a name other than her own.
The alleged incident occurred on July 23, 2024. It is claimed that Lamar-Silvia signed the names of Saginaw voters on a petition form to secure Eggleston’s place on the ballot. Eggleston then allegedly falsely certified himself as the circulator before submitting the forms shortly before the filing deadline.
Despite these efforts, Eggleston did not secure placement on the ballot. "Election laws and regulations ensure fairness and accountability in the electoral process," said Nessel at the time of charging. She praised local clerks for identifying fraudulent signatures and emphasized her office's commitment to investigating and prosecuting election fraud allegations.
A pretrial date has yet to be determined.