WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Felony charges against a Hamtramck City Council member for his alleged role in election fraud were dismissed on Monday.
An investigation into the 2023 Hamtramck City Council election, covering July 1 to Nov. 7, revealed the alleged election fraud.
Council member Muhtasin Sadman was initially charged with five counts, including forging a signature on an absentee ballot application, forgery, two counts of unqualified elector attempting to vote, and making a false statement on an absentee ballot application.
Sadman appeared for his preliminary examination on Oct. 20, 2025. In this hearing, a judge determines whether or not there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.
In his preliminary hearing, prosecutors said two key witnesses failed to appear. The judge then dismissed Sadman’s felony charges without prejudice.
However, prosecutors asked the judge to send the misdemeanor charges against him forward to a pretrial hearing. The judge granted the request.
Sadman is expected to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 6, 2025.
Meanwhile, council member Mohammed Hassan faces three counts: forging a signature on an absentee ballot application, forgery, and making a false statement on an absentee ballot application, with similar penalties. He is expected to appear in court on Oct. 30.
This all started back in March when Michigan’s attorney general, Dana Nessel, requested a special prosecutor to investigate election crimes involving four current and one former Hamtramck city council members.
The probe began after the city clerk noticed unusual patterns with absentee ballots — including identical handwriting on multiple envelopes and large bundles of ballots submitted at once.
The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office took over the case in May.