Handwriting samples parsed as jury weighs Hamtramck election fraud case

Detroit — Dotted and undotted i's, and loops in r's are among the evidence to be scrutinized by jurors who will decide whether a Hamtramck City Council member forged a signature on a woman's absentee ballot in 2023.

The Wayne County Circuit Court jury began deliberations Wednesday following three days of testimony, in which they heard from six witnesses in the trial of Mohammed Hassan. The councilman, who also serves as Hamtramck's mayor pro tem, is charged with forging a signature on an absentee ballot, election law forgery and making a false statement in an application for an absentee ballot.

The first two charges are punishable by up to five years in prison.

The case hinges on an application for an absentee ballot allegedly filed by Hamtramck resident Zerin Sultana, which Hassan claimed he assisted Sultana in filing. Sultana testified during the trial that she did not want the application, did not sign it and that Hassan did not assist her in filing it.




https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2026/07/01/jury-hamtramck-councilman-mohammed-hassan-fate-election-fraud-case/90711283007/