November 2022 election fraud, Oconomowoc man accused
James Schrott (April 2024)
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - An Oconomowoc man is accused of fraudulently voting in the November 2022 election.
Prosecutors charged 45-year-old James Schrott with one count of election fraud on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Court records show he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on the charge next month.
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The Wisconsin Elections Commission reported the potential fraud to the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office in August 2023, according to a criminal complaint. Schrott's voting rights had been prohibited because of a prior felony conviction.
Prosecutors said a review of voter registration applications found Schrott signed and certified that he was a qualified elector on Nov. 8, 2022. A review of the Oconomowoc poll list also showed Schrott's signature, which was "consistent with the signature on the voter registration application."
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The complaint states detectives interviewed Schrott in July 2023, and he said he recalled voting in that election. He said he was having difficulty cashing a check at his bank and needed a form of identification, and the bank said a voter registration form with a current address on it would be accepted.
Schrott said he went to the polling place but "did not recall much about voting," according to court filings. He also said he had never voted before and only wanted to get identification so he could cash the check. He also claimed to not know he couldn't vote as a convicted felon – and didn't know if he was a convicted felon at the time.
Court filings show Schrott was convicted in February 2022 for two different Waukesha County drug cases. He said he thought he could vote because he had not started his sentence, but detectives noted his sentence had in fact started – and he failed to attend his initial meeting with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.