Patterson Calling for Grand Jury Investigation into Tea Party Filings

There is a possible case of election fraud in Oakland County. County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is calling for a one man grand jury investigation into suspicious Tea Party filings.

There are three races where candidate filings appear suspect, and all three appear to trace back to one man.

If it had not have been for a late fee, these alleged, political shenanigans may have gone unnoticed. However, now that Oakland County officials have uncovered what's going on, they are taking action.

"With a 12-12 board, we can't afford to have one race tampered with," said Patterson.

That's a fact Oakland County officials say 26-year-old Jason Bauer knew all too well.

Oakland Count Clerk Ruth Johnson discovered three filings from candidates who claimed to represent the Tea Party, but it turns out those filings may be frauds. One of the so-called candidates doesn't even live in Michigan, and Bauer, the Oakland County Democratic Party's former political director, notarized each and every one of those potentially phony filings.

"This fake Tea Party was designed from the beginning to be deceptive, to confuse voters, to siphon votes from legitimate candidates on the ballot," said Johnson.

This isn't the first time Bauer has been accused of doing something shady.

"Republican County Commissioner Shelley Taub during that debate received a letter purportedly from a West Bloomfield constituent... The letter was a total fraud. After Taub did some detective work, she learned the letter in question was admittedly written by an intern at the Oakland County Democratic Party Headquarters at the order of Jason Bauer," Patterson said.

Now, Bauer is in hot water, but this time his actions could land him in jail. Patterson is calling for a one man grand jury; a move FOX 2 Legal Analyst Charlie Langton calls smart.

"If somebody signs a document like a petition to run for office and that petition is phony; that's a crime," said Langton. "Somebody's got to pay for that."

Bauer resigned Sunday night, and his roommate, Oakland County Democratic Party Chairman Mike McGuinness resigned Wednesday morning.

McGuinness is running for commissioner; the same office in which Bauer is accused of entering a fake, Tea Party candidate.

"This is not a college prank. This isn't a fraternity election. This is a legitimate, public election that determines the outcome of how the government in this county is going to operate," said Patterson.

The court will decide whether or not to convene a grand jury. That decision should be made within the next four to six weeks.