advertisement

Third person accused of voter fraud in Lake County pleads guilty

The third of five Lake County residents accused of committing voter fraud pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Wednesday.

Yvette Yust, 56, of Waukegan pleaded to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Judge Victoria Rossetti sentenced her to six months of probation, a $200 fine and 20 hours of community service, Assistant State's Attorney Fred Day said.

Yust's plea was to the same misdemeanor charge Marcello Villaruz, 63, and his wife, Gina Villaruz, 51, of Beach Park, pleaded guilty to June 28, Day said. Both received the same sentence as Yust.

Yust and the Villaruzes were each charged with two felony counts of perjury for misrepresenting their citizenship when voting in the November 2016 election. All three lied and said they were U.S. citizens when voting, Day said.

The perjury charges were dropped in exchange for the plea deals, Day said.

Marvin Hershman, 89, of Riverwoods and Janet Pokryfke, 69, of Mundelein are the two remaining residents charged with two counts of voting more than once and one count of perjury for, authorities said, voting multiple times in 2016.

Hershman's case has been delayed until Sept. 17. Pokryfke is due in court Thursday.

Five accused of voter fraud in Lake County

Five plead not guilty to voter fraud allegations in Lake County

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.