{Hamlin, West Virginia}...Wednesday, former Lincoln County Commissioner 32 year old Thomas Ramey, Jr. was in U.S. District Court in Charleston to plead guilty to the felony charge connected to absentee ballot fraud in the 2010 primary election in Lincoln County. Ramey will be sentenced November 15th after he admitted to lying to a federal FBI investigator when he told the agent he did not know who altered certain absentee ballots before they were submitted to the Lincoln County clerk. Ramey is the third elected official in Lincoln County to resign because of federal charges. Former Lincoln County Sheriff Jerry Bowman and former Lincoln County Clerk Donald Whitten have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced August 29th. Investigators say they instructed voters to vote for certain candidates on absentee ballots or ballots were filled out for voters. Ramey faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will also be ineligible to run for office for the next 10 years. He is currently out on $10,000 bond.
