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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday - May 26, 2005

WILMINGTON - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced that OWEN PHILLIP PASSMORE, 24, of 5313 Thistle Brook Court, Raleigh, N. C., was indicted by a federal grand jury in Wilmington on Wednesday, May 25, 2005, for voter fraud.

According to the one-count indictment, during the period of June 2004 through August 2004, in a federal office election, PASSMORE deprived and defrauded the residents of the State of North Carolina of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by procuring and submitting voter registration applications that he knew to be false, fictitious, and fraudulent under North Carolina laws.

If convicted as charged, PASSMORE could receive a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000.00, and a supervised release term of three years.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U. S. Attorney Jennifer May-Parker is prosecuting the case for the United States.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney's web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.