Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf says officials inside Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office may have crossed a criminal line by ordering employees not to cooperate with his investigation.

Leaf said he tried to interview two supervisors he considers critical witnesses in an inquiry involving alleged automatic voter registration of noncitizens. According to the sheriff, both supervisors gave what sounded like the same scripted response: they were not permitted to speak with him or assist the investigation.

Now he says he has physical evidence identifying people higher in the chain of command who issued those instructions — and he is warning that a federal criminal referral could follow.

Leaf delivered that warning directly in a new video statement:

Leaf called the alleged conduct “obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, and interference with an ongoing criminal investigation.” He said he may refer the individuals involved to federal authorities for investigation and possible charges.

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The sheriff also offered to recommend immunity for state employees who cooperate. He acknowledged that some may simply be following orders, but said an illegal command must be disobeyed.

The Gateway Pundit reports that the dispute grew out of a whistleblower complaint from inside Benson’s department. Leaf says the employee presented evidence that Michigan’s Customer and Automotive Records System, known as CARS, was informing noncitizens they had been registered to vote after address changes.

According to Leaf’s account, the employee showed that evidence to a supervisor and was told county clerks would catch and remove any ineligible registrations. The sheriff disputes that assurance because clerks receive the Qualified Voter File only after the state has registered a person, the file does not flag citizenship status, and a registered individual may then request a mail ballot or present identification at a polling place without a separate citizenship check.

The initial video laid out Leaf’s claims and his referral of the matter to the Justice Department:

The Midwesterner reported that Leaf’s office referred the allegations to federal authorities as a possible conspiracy to violate the federal ban on noncitizens voting and to place ineligible people in Michigan’s voter and jury pools. Leaf also urged the Legislature to stop any automatic registration practice and asked additional witnesses to contact his office or another local sheriff.

The outlet added important context: Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said Michigan’s Department of State referred 16 suspected noncitizen-voting cases from the 2024 election during 2025, followed by 22 more referrals in 2026 involving conduct dating back years. At that point, six cases had produced criminal charges, ten were closed without charges, and 22 remained under review.

Leaf later said investigators located a noncitizen who had allegedly received election mail and ballots despite never trying to register. This follow-up video shows the evidence the sheriff says he sent to the federal government:

MNS reported that Leaf said the noncitizen had spent years pursuing lawful U.S. citizenship and more than $20,000 in legal fees. According to the sheriff, the person told investigators that he or she never attempted to register, never signed an eligibility attestation, and nevertheless received election mail and ballots from Michigan for years.

Leaf further claimed that his office confirmed with federal authorities that the individual had an active Michigan voter registration and turned over the evidence. The outlet stressed an important limitation: the video did not identify the person or publish the underlying voter record, so the claim could not be independently verified from Leaf’s statement alone.

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Benson has repeatedly defended Michigan’s election system and voter rolls as secure. Her office has also acknowledged that a review found at least 15 noncitizens cast ballots in the 2024 general election.

No criminal charges have been announced against Benson or the supervisors Leaf referenced, and the sheriff’s allegations remain unproven. But an order telling witnesses inside a state election office not to cooperate with a lawful investigation would be an extraordinarily serious matter.

Leaf’s message to the officials he says are blocking the inquiry was blunt: cooperate now, or risk having the matter put in federal hands.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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