INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's top elections official was indicted Thursday on voter fraud and other charges for allegedly listing his ex-wife's address as his own on voting and loan forms, and ineligibly serving on a town council, a prosecutor said.
The Hamilton County grand jury charged Republican Secretary of State Charlie White with seven felony counts in all, including three counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury, and one count each of theft and financial fraud, said John Dowd, one of two special prosecutors asked to investigate the matter.
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels called on White to step aside until the case is resolved.
"It would be neither credible nor appropriate for the state's top elections official to continue to perform his duties while contesting criminal charges, some of them under the very laws the Secretary of State implements," Daniels said in a statement.
Jason Thomas, White's spokesman, said his office wanted to get more details about the charges before commenting. White surrendered to authorities at the Hamilton County Jail in Noblesville, said Dowd.
White, who defeated Democrat Vop Osili in November's election, would be forced to resign if convicted. The state Democratic chairman, Dan Parker, called on White to step down immediately.
"The judicial system has validated what we have believed all along: Charlie White should never have been on the ballot as a candidate for public office," Parker said. "Much like his voting record, White's entire campaign was a fraud. This situation is deeply embarrassing for the State of Indiana and our democratic process."
Prosecutors contend that White voted in last May's Republican primary after moving out his ex-wife's home in Fishers and out of the town council district he represented. White has previously acknowledged the voting error, chalking it up to his busy schedule and new marriage.
He is charged with theft for allegedly continuing to collect a salary from the town council after he was no longer eligible to serve. The financial fraud charge pertains to White's allegedly lying under oath about his address on loan documents.
Dowd said the grand jury wasn't sure where White had actually resided, "but the grand jury didn't believe it was where he claimed."
Democrats contended White intentionally skirted the law to keep his seat on the town council.
Dowd said six of the counts against White carried potential penalties of six months to three years in prison, while the financial fraud charges carried a penalty of two to eight years in prison if convicted.
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