John Stafford charged with illegal voting in Greene County

London Bishop, Springfield News-Sun, Ohio
Updated ·2 min read

Jul. 5—XENIA — A local jeweler who has been very involved in Bellbrook-Sugarcreek school board and school levy elections in recent years has been charged with illegal voting and tampering with records related to the November 2022 election.

John Stafford, 65, who owns Stafford's Diamonds near the Dayton Mall, was indicted on two felony counts of illegal voting and tampering with records, and one misdemeanor count of failing to provide notification of a change of address.

According to the indictment filed June 16 in Greene County Common Pleas Court, Stafford is charged with voting in Greene County, where he was not "a legally qualified elector," and tampering with evidence.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office is serving as special prosecutor for the case. A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office said that most voter fraud cases are referred to their agency from the Ohio Secretary of State's office and prosecuted by local agencies. A small percentage of voter fraud cases, including this case, are referred from local law enforcement and prosecuted by the state.

The Ohio Secretary of State's Office last October referred 75 suspected voter fraud cases to the Ohio AG and county prosecutors, totaling 630 in the last four years.

The Greene County court records tied to the case that were posted online early Wednesday listed a non-Greene County address for Stafford. Later Wednesday, the case was fully removed from Greene County's Courtview website, due to its confidential nature, a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said.

The indictment obtained by the Dayton Daily News has Stafford's address redacted.

Stafford declined to comment Wednesday.

Stafford also is the plaintiff in an ongoing federal lawsuit against the Sugarcreek Police Department, WHIO-TV, and several other defendants related to a May 2021 incident in which Stafford was cited for aggravated menacing. Those charges against Stafford later were dismissed.

Stafford's lawsuit says the defendants "both individually and/or as part of a conspiracy" violated Stafford's rights to due process and improperly withheld evidence related to the incident in which police at the time accused Stafford of threatening golfers at Sugar Valley Golf Club with a firearm.