Handwriting samples parsed as jury weighs Hamtramck election fraud case

Handwriting evidence is being parsed as jurors weigh allegations that a Hamtramck, Michigan, council member forged a woman’s absentee ballot signature in 2023. A Wayne County Circuit Court jury began deliberations Wednesday after three days of testimony, hearing from six witnesses, in the trial of Mohammed Hassan. Hassan, who also serves as Hamtramck’s mayor pro tem, faces charges including election law forgery and making a false statement in an absentee ballot application, along with forgery of a signature. Prosecutors and a forensic scientist focused on letter features such as loops in “r”s and whether “i”s were dotted. Michigan State Police Forensic Scientist McKenzie Weyh testified she had the highest possible certainty that Hassan’s signature matched the ballot, while the envelope comparison was less conclusive. The case centers on an application tied to Zerin Sultana, who testified she did not sign or want the application, and said Hassan did not assist her.