HARRISBURG, PA — A Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General investigation into forged nomination petitions tied to Pennsylvania’s 2022 congressional primary resulted in the conviction of an Allegheny County man accused of falsifying hundreds of voter signatures for payment, highlighting vulnerabilities in the state’s ballot qualification process.
A jury convicted Kirk Rice on Friday of theft by deception, forgery, perjury, and related charges following a weeklong trial, according to Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office. Sentencing is scheduled for August 17.
Prosecutors said Rice was paid $1,340 to collect signatures for Democratic congressional candidate Steve Irwin ahead of the 2022 primary election…