Overview
- Arrest warrants say Howard Knapp used a state credit card for more than $5,400 in fuel and drove a state vehicle for personal use.
- Knapp faces embezzlement and misconduct counts, multiple charges of using his office for personal gain, and an accessory charge tied to a secret recording device in the elections boardroom.
- Agents say former deputy director Paige Salonich was also arrested after leaving a device to intercept confidential deliberations, and they allege Knapp then sought help retrieving it.
- Knapp was released on a promise to return for court hearings, his lawyer called the case political, and state agents said their investigation remains active.
- The Election Commission said the charges do not involve election integrity, and leaders are reviewing a 2024 purchase of 3,200 ballot scanners totaling about $32 million that Knapp recommended.