Former Charlotte mayor indicted for casting illegal vote

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — A Mecklenburg County grand jury has indicted former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon for election fraud after he cast an early ballot in the 2014 election.

Local media outlets report Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray said Cannon was indicted Monday. Murray’s office took the case before the grand jury after the State Board of Elections turned over the results of an investigation. The office declined further comment.

Cannon lost his voting rights because he was a convicted felon. But The Charlotte Observer reported that he cast an early ballot on Oct. 30. That’s considered a felony under N.C. law.

When he cast the ballot, Cannon had already pleaded guilty in federal court for accepting more than $50,000 from FBI undercover agents, but had not yet started serving his prison sentence.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)