Former GOP state Rep. Austin Smith, a Turning Point leader, indicted for forging election documents
Former Republican state legislator Austin Smith has been indicted on 14 misdemeanor and felony counts for allegedly forging voter signatures on his petitions for reelection last year.
Former member of the state legislature’s far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus Smith dropped his reelection bid last spring after he was accused of personally forging more than 100 petition signatures to get on the 2024 Republican primary ballot.
Around the same time, Smith resigned from his position as senior director at Turning Point Action, the political advocacy arm of Turning Point USA, a far-right organization based in Phoenix that aims to mobilize young conservatives. But according to Smith’s Linkedin and X accounts, he was rehired in January as Turning Point Action’s strategic director. Smith made his X account private, blocking his biographical information — including his job title — on the morning of June 10, after the news of his indictment was made public.
A Maricopa County grand jury indicted Smith on June 2 on four felony counts, for presenting documents he knew were forged to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, and 10 misdemeanor counts for personally forging the names of electors on his reelection petitions.
https://azmirror.com/briefs/former-gop-state-rep-austin-smith-a-turning-point-leader-indicted-for-forging-election-documents/
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