Delco district attorney charges Millbourne Borough official with election fraud

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Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer charged Millbourne Borough Council Vice President Mohammed Nurul Hasan in connection with an election fraud scandal.

Stollsteimer alleged Hasan falsely registered more than 30 people and cast ballots on their behalf to alter the result of the 2021 mayoral race in the tiny borough. Hasan is charged with 48 offenses related to the alleged fraudulent voting scheme, court records show.

“The bedrock principle of democracy is free and fair elections,” Stollsteimer said in a statement Wednesday. “Millbourne Borough Councilman MD Hasan violated that principle in 2021 by stuffing the ballot box with illegal votes in an effort to win higher office.”

Hasan’s alleged effort fell short. He ultimately lost the low turnout election to Millbourne Mayor Mahabubul Tayub by about 30 votes.

“Today, thanks to an exhaustive joint investigation [led] by my office and our partners at the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Delaware County Bureau of Elections, he is being held accountable for his criminal acts,” Stollsteimer said.

Hasan’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Home to more than 1,200 people, Millbourne Borough sits adjacent to Upper Darby Township and Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood.

Hasan also faces federal charges alongside Borough Councilmember Mohammed Munsur Ali and former Councilmember Mohammed Rafikul Islam. Ali’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Islam’s attorney declined to comment.

A federal grand jury indicted the trio in February for conspiracy among other election fraud-related charges. Stollsteimer said the alleged manipulation of Pennsylvania’s online voter registration system “should trouble” state lawmakers.

Delaware County Elections Director Jim Allen said a scheme of this kind — which requires the personal information of a voter — is “exceedingly rare.” He believes the charges should serve as a deterrent for future wrongdoing.

“I view this as evidence that investigators are not going to let passage of time or the lack of an impact on the election result prevent them from pursuing the case, however long it takes,” Allen said in a statement.