Activist wants voter registration charges dismissed

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A legal team from across the country is ready to fight Memphis activist Pamela Moses’ case in court. First, they are asking all charges be dropped against her.

Last month Moses was granted a new trial after being convicted of falsifying voter registration records and sentenced to six years in jail.

On Friday, two weeks to the day since a judge released Pamela Moses from jail and ordered her a new trial, Moses and her team of attorneys were out front 201 Poplar with a message for the District Attorney’s Office.

“We don’t want Ms. Moses to have to sit through another trial,” Moses’ Attorney Rodney Diggs said. “We want all charges to be immediately dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office.”

Judge W. Mark Ward granted Moses a new trial after the defense discovered documents they were not provided prior to trial. Last year, Moses was found guilty of making or consenting to false entries on official registration or election documents.

Moses said while she was in jail she caught COVID-19 and her she suffered severe depression and anxiety.

“Being incarcerated for something I didn’t do is psychological torture,” Moses said.

Moses’ attorneys said if the charges are not dropped the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office should recuse itself from the case.

“I can say with certainty looking at all of this evidence that special council will decide it is not worth moving forward and they will dismiss those charges,” Moses’ Attorney James Bryant said.

Moses’ attorneys said she was unable to vote while serving probation. In 2019, when inquiring about whether she was still on probation, her attorneys said the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) told her she was not and was given a paper to have her voting rights restored.

Judge Ward writes in his motion granting a new trial a TDOC worker was questioned by the defense during trial about the negligence and mistakes made in verifying Moses’ probation status. But Ward said the new evidence brings up questions not asked at trial and a possible new witness by the defense.

Action News 5 reached out to District Attorney Amy Wierich’s Office for a response about the defense asking for the charges to be dropped. The office said it is not releasing a new statement.

After the announcement of a new trail the office said:

“The Tennessee Department of Correction failed to turn over a necessary document in the case of Pamela Moses and therefore her conviction has been overturned by the judge. When reporters or political opportunists use the word ‘state’ they need to be crystal clear that the error was made by the TDOC and not any attorney or officer in the office of the Shelby County District Attorney.”

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