Saginaw city councilwoman found guilty of felony charges

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - A Saginaw City Council member and a former Saginaw City Council member candidate have been found guilty of election law forgery charges.

Monique Lamar-Silvia and Eric Eggleston were charged in January for forging signatures on a nominating petition filed with the Saginaw City Clerk’s Office, according to the Michigan Attorney General’s (AG) Office.

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The AG’s office said they were attempting to get Eggleston on the ballot for the election in November 2024 as a candidate for city council. They were unsuccessful.

This case was referred to the Attorney General by the Michigan Department of State following an investigation into a complaint of election fraud made by the Saginaw City Clerk.

Lamar-Silvia was charged with the following felonies and misdemeanor:

• One count of conspiracy to do a legal act in an illegal manner, a five-year felony
• One count of election law forgery, a five-year felony
• One count of signing a nominating petition with multiple names, a five-year felony
• One count of signing a nominating petition with a name other than her own, a 93-day misdemeanor

Eggleston was charged with the following felonies and misdemeanor:

• One count of conspiracy to do a legal act in an illegal manner, a five-year felony
• One count of election law forgery, a five-year felony
• One count of signing a nominating petition as a circulator when he was not the circulator, a 93-day misdemeanor

Both Lamar-Silva and Eggleston were found guilty on all counts by a jury according to court records.

Both are set to be sentenced on Aug. 27 at 1:30 p.m.

“Forging signatures on nominating petitions undermines our democratic process,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “I am pleased the jury recognized the seriousness of these offenses. These convictions serve as a strong reminder that no one is above the law, and my office remains committed to upholding our election laws to protect the will of voters.”

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