Former Alaska Rep. and Kodiak mayor LeDoux and her aide face new charges of felony voter fraud

June 10, 2021 by Nat Herz, Alaska Public Media

Former Anchorage GOP Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux faces four new felony counts of voter misconduct, state prosecutors announced Thursday.

LeDoux’s former legislative aide, Lisa Simpson, also faces two new felony charges, which could increase the pressure on her to cooperate with authorities in their efforts to convict her former boss.

LeDoux was initially charged last year with just one felony count and a number of misdemeanors related to her 2018 reelection campaign.

The case fell idle for the past year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and only recently began moving forward again.

Both LeDoux and Simpson have hired top-notch defense attorneys.

LeDoux’s lawyer, Kevin Fitzgerald, declined to comment on the new charges Thursday, though LeDoux told Alaska’s News Source that she was “absolutely innocent.”

Simpson’s attorney, Rex Butler, said he thinks that prosecutors’ ultimate goal is convicting LeDoux, and that they’re “roping in” Simpson to help.

“It’s all about their efforts to get Gabrielle,” Butler said.

Both LeDoux and Simpson pleaded not guilty at an initial hearing Thursday, according to a prepared statement from state prosecutors. A spokeswoman for the prosecutors, Grace Lee, did not respond to a request for a copy of the charging documents in the case.

LeDoux was a longtime Republican legislator who faced a fierce backlash from party leaders after she accepted a leadership position in the House’s mostly Democratic majority. She lost her Republican primary last year.

The charges against LeDoux came after state elections officials notified the Alaska State Troopers of what they described as irregularities with absentee ballot applications during her 2018 reelection campaign. The FBI also participated in the investigation.

Simpson’s son Caden is also being charged with voter misconduct. He’s represented by a public defender, according to a state courts database.

Correction: This story initially reported that LeDoux pleaded guilty at an initial hearing. She pleaded not guilty.

[KMXT Editor’s Note: Ledoux was Kodiak Island Borough mayor from 2001 to 2004, when she was elected to the Alaska legislature.]