Thompson given probation

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn has announced 61-year-old Rus Thompson of Niagara Falls, formerly of Grand Island, was sentenced by State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia to three years probation for election fraud.

In February, Thompson pleaded to offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree.

On one of his social media pages, Thompson said he was also given a $250 fine. He also called the probation "a bit lengthy."

On Sept. 10, 2015, Thompson registered to vote in the primary election on Grand Island by affidavit ballot, claiming that he resided on Grand Island when the year before he had moved to the City of Niagara Falls.

As a result, Thompson was able to vote in the Grand Island September 2015 primary, November 2015 general election and April 2016 presidential primary.

Flynn credits the Erie County Board of Elections for its assistance in the case.

Assistant District Attorney Gary M. Ertel in the DA's Special Investigations and Prosecutions Bureau prosecuted the case.