Did Prisoner ‘Con’ West Virginia Secretary of State?

He lists his full name as Keith ‘Mtr. President, Dark Priest, W.D., Rusy…’ Russell Judd,  at least according to Project Vote Smart.

Mr. Judd is a “Rastafarian-Christian” who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2012.

Recently, Judd qualified for the ballot in the state of West Virginia, where Secretary of State Natalie Tennant certified his application and filing fee.

The only problem is that Judd is also a federal inmate, currently nearing the end of a 14 year sentence.

The colorful convict was previously a candidate in 2008, appearing on the Idaho state primary ballot.  That year, Judd qualified for the Democratic primary ballot in Idaho by submitting a notarized form and paying the required $1,000 fee to Secretary of State Ben Ysursa.  He also submitted similar checks and filing documents to more than a dozen other states, but all were rejected.

“We got conned,” Ysursa sheepishly told the media in 2008 about his decision to accept Judd’s paperwork.

Since 2008, Judd has engaged himself in near constant litigation, attempting to force his way onto a ballot in as many states as possible.  Aside from West Virginia, he’s failed.

This year, it appears that it is West Virginia’s Tennant who has fallen victim to Judd’s presidential con.

My request for more information from the Secretary of State’s office about the decision to include Judd on the primary ballot was not answered in a timely fashion.

Strangely, on this prisoner Pen Pal website, the candidate actually selected “Yes” as his answer for the question “Are you on death row?”   As far as I can tell, however, he’s not actually scheduled to die at the hands of the state.