St. Paul mayoral candidate Dai Thao 'involved' in voter fraud investigation, police say

St. Paul police said they received a report of alleged voter fraud involving St. Paul City Council member Dai Thao, who lost his bid for mayor Tuesday.

The report was taken about 2 p.m. Monday, said police spokesman Steve Linders, who confirmed that it involved Thao but could not provide further details.

The case was forwarded to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office for investigation to avoid any conflicts of interest.

According to Linders and a police report on the matter: The alleged incident occurred at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center between 9:05 and 9:30 a.m. Monday. The center was one of several early voting locations.

Linders said a report of "alleged violations of voter rules" was submitted by Joe Mansky, Ramsey County elections manager. Linders declined to specify what the alleged violation was, and what role Thao allegedly played.

Thao and his campaign staff could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday. Mansky also could not be immediately reached for comment.

Hennepin County sheriff's spokesman Jon Collins confirmed that the office is investigating the matter.

"As far as the specifics of the investigation go, I wouldn't be able to provide anything since it's an ongoing investigation," Collins said, adding that he did not know when the investigation would be completed.

Thao was cleared in September following a criminal investigation of an allegation that he attempted to solicit a bribe.