Sheriff controversy spurs phony fliers

In Marion County, the Supervisor of Elections Office is investigating a fraudulent mailer they said is going around Marion County right now.

Elections Supervisor Wesley Wilcox first heard about the mailer on Monday. The mailer reads "Urgent, Public Notice" on the front. On the back it reads, among other things, "… you have the right to demand a contribution refund from Christopher Blair’s campaign treasurer."

Blair was arrested Friday and indicted on charges of perjury and official misconduct.  Wilcox said Blair's campaign is active and contributors can request a contribution refund, but the campaign is under no obligation to return the money, if they don't want to.  "I don't know that it's illegal. It's definitely, I'd have to say, fraudulent, because it's not from me, nor my office,” Wilcox said. “So, it's misleading at best."

It's unclear who sent the fliers, or how they got addresses, but In tiny print, the mailer says tax money wasn't used for it, and that a "concerned citizen of Marion County" created it.  Language indicates it is not affiliated with the state, county, or any political candidate.

Elections Supervisor Operations Director, Marsha Few, said you can spot this fraud by the following:  the old, unclear seal on the mailer, the off-center print, and the mailer’s perforated edges.

Few said the office will never send you a mailer about a candidate, unless it's about a ballot. Wilcox said he has contacted the county attorney who got in touch with the Marion County Sheriff's Office about this.

If you have the mailer, Few says throw it away.