Hamtramck city councilman acquitted of felony election fraud, forgery charges

A Hamtramck city councilman charged with election fraud and forgery has been acquitted of all felony charges in connection with the 2023 city council election

On Wednesday, a Wayne County jury acquitted Hamtramck City Councilmember Mohammed Hassan of both felony counts of election law forgery and forging a signature on an absentee ballot application. However, the jury found Hassan, who also serves as the city's mayor pro tem, guilty of providing a false statement in an application for an absentee ballot, a 90-day misdemeanor. 

The jury's decision came three days after witness testimony and within two hours of the jury being handed the case on Wednesday morning. If convicted, Hassan faced the possibility of five years in prison and up to a $1,000 fine. 

Hassan was initially charged in August 2025 with election law forgery, two counts of unqualified elector attempting to vote, forging a signature on an absentee ballot application and providing a false statement in an application for an absentee ballot.   

Hassan's case stems from the August 2023 election, when a Hamtramck voter alleged that she did not cast a vote but that her name appeared on an absentee ballot. The woman, who has ties to Hassan, claimed that the councilman asked her for his vote, but that she said no. 

During the three-day trial, handwriting experts were the focus of testimony, with the prosecution's handwriting expert saying she had doubts but still saw many similarities between that woman's signature and Hassan's. 

The Michigan Attorney General's office began its investigation in April 2025 and later appointed the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office as a special prosecutor on the case. 

Fellow councilmember Muhtasin Sadman was also initially charged with election law forgery, forging a signature on an absentee ballot application and providing a false statement in an application for an absentee ballot. According to court records, his felony charges were dismissed without prejudice in October 2025.