Breaking: Former Rep. LeDoux campaign aide signs plea agreement in election corruption case

The long, drawn-out case of former Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, accused of voter fraud stemming back to her activities in 2018, may have reached a new juncture.

Lisa Simpson, formerly Lisa Vought, has signed a plea agreement. Simpson is the former chief of staff and campaign manager for LeDoux, who may face a jury trial next week — unless it is delayed yet again.

The court record shows that Simpson signed the plea agreement earlier this month. She faced five charges of voter misconduct, several of them felony charges. This may mean she has agreed to testify against LeDoux.

In 2020, LeDoux and Simpson had been charged with voter misconduct and unlawful interference with voting after an investigation by the FBI and the Alaska State Troopers stemming from the registration of Simpson’s son and other voters as voters in LeDoux’s district, part of East Anchorage that was then District 15.

“On June 2, 2021, an Anchorage grand jury indicted Gabrielle LeDoux, Lisa (Vaught) Simpson, and [her son, who was exploited] on multiple counts of voter misconduct in the first degree. These charges stem from the investigation that started in 2018 after the Division of Elections identified some irregularities in some of the absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots returned for the primary election for House District 15.  The Alaska State Troopers, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, conducted the investigation,” the Department of Law wrote.

The trial has been delayed dozens of times.

The next court date for LeDoux is July 23, which is a jury trial status meeting and oral arguments, with a jury trial set for July 25. Such calendar events have come and gone in the past for LeDoux, but with Simpson’s plea agreement, it’s possible that LeDoux will also make a plea agreement. Other charges relating to fraud in the 2014 election had already been dismissed by the judge.

In the years that have passed, at least one witness has died. Charlie Chang, a Democrat who LeDoux paid and brought in as a consultant from California to help her interface with the Hmong community in her district, died in California, according to LeDoux.

A list of all the court dates and delays in this case shows the numerous times this has been delayed. With a plea agreement from Simpson, however, it seems almost certain that there will be movement in the case this coming week. That could include LeDoux getting her own plea agreement to lesser charges.