Democrat's 'prank' was felony voter suppression says NH AG 
 
 
 
 CONCORD - A former campaign worker for Maureen Mann, who lost a special election Tuesday, was arrested Thursday afternoon for voter suppression. 
 
 
 
 The felony charge results from an admitted 'prank' by Carl Gibson, 28, of 26 Summit St., involving an emailed news release claiming Mann's opponent, Yvonne Dean-Bailey, had dropped out of the closely-followed race. 
 
 
 
 Gibson surrendered to police Thursday evening after a warrant was issued for his arrest, New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph A. Foster announced Friday. 
 
 
 
 "Mr. Gibson has been charged with voter suppression for knowingly attempting to induce voters to refrain from voting in this past Tuesday's special election for state representative in Rockingham District 32. District 32 consists of the towns of Candia, Deerfield, Northwood and Nottingham," Foster wrote in a statement. "Gibson is accused of providing a false press release to various news sources generally circulated in District 32, alleging that candidate Yvonne Dean-Bailey was dropping out of the race, thereby leaving the impression with voters that the special election was uncontested." 
 
 
 
 In New Hampshire, voter suppression is a class B felony. Gibson also was charged with distributing a false document purporting to have been issued by Dean-Bailey, a misdemeanor. 
 
 
 
 Mann denounced Gibson's actions when they came to light last weekend and distanced herself from his conduct. 
 
 
 
 "I find this reprehensible, and believe it should be investigated and the appropriate punishment handed out to anyone found responsible,” she said Sunday night. “I parted ways with Mr. Gibson weeks ago, and he has not been part of my campaign since then. I'm not sure if he did this because he was angry, or after a few beers as stated in a news report, but I am outraged.” 
 
 
 
 Gibson will be arraigned Monday, June 22, at 6th Circuit Court in Concord at 8:15 a.m. 
 
 .. ||||| Visitors, including Carl Gibson of Concord (in red) listen to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont speak during a house party at the home of Arne Areneson in Concord on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 31, 2015. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff) 
 
 A Concord man who confessed to creating a hoax email leading voters to believe a candidate for state representative was dropping out of a special election has been charged with two crimes, including a felony, by the state’s attorney general. 
 
 Carl Gibson, 28, of Concord, turned himself in to authorities Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. 
 
 Assistant Attorney General Stephen LaBonte said his office viewed Gibson’s conduct as “pretty serious” and accelerated the investigation. 
 
 “When you’re trying to trick someone and fraudulently issuing out information in an effort to get people to forgo a fundamental right, I think that’s a big deal,” LaBonte said. 
 
 The more serious of two allegations against Gibson is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $4,000 fine. 
 
 In a phone interview last week, Gibson admitted he circulated a phony press release to reporters, purporting to be 19-year-old Republican Yvonne Dean-Bailey saying she was bowing out of the race – days ahead of the election – to focus on her college studies. Gibson said he “probably had one too many beers” before sending out the email, which he considered to be a “prank,” not to be taken seriously. 
 
 Gibson’s identity was quickly uncovered after his name was found to be embedded in the electronic properties of an attachment to the email. 
 
 Asked if he understood the potential legal consequences of his actions last week, Gibson said he’d need to consult with an attorney. 
 
 Gibson, a self-described journalist, is charged with a class B felony alleging he suppressed voters by knowingly attempting to induce them to refrain from voting in the election held Tuesday. Dean-Bailey won the special election for Rockingham County’s 32nd House district, covering Candia, Deerfield, Northwood and Nottingham. 
 
 Gibson previously volunteered for Dean-Bailey’s opponent, Democrat Maureen Mann, but was booted from her campaign about a month before he sent out the hoax press release. He said he was operating Mann’s Twitter account but taking her tweets in a direction Mann didn’t want to go, and the two left on bad terms. 
 
 Gibson is also charged with a class A misdemeanor for distributing a false document purporting to be issued by Dean-Bailey, according to LaBonte. 
 
 Gibson is scheduled to be arraigned on June 22 at 8:15 a.m. at Concord’s district court and didn’t immediately return a request for comment. 
 
 (Nick Reid can be reached at 369-3325 or nreid@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickBReid.)
– A few days before a special election for a New Hampshire House seat, reporters received an official-looking news release via email informing them that one of the candidates was dropping out. This turned out to be news to the candidate herself, who was doing no such thing. Now a 28-year-old man has admitted to what he calls the "prank" against 19-year-old Republican Yvonne Dean-Bailey. The state attorney general, however, has another word for it: felony. Carl Gibson has been charged with voter suppression, reports the Union Leader, an offense that carries a seven-year sentence. Before the charges were filed, Gibson told the Concord Monitor that he "probably had one too many beers" before sending out the email. Technicians were easily able to trace it back to him. “When you’re trying to trick someone and fraudulently issuing out information in an effort to get people to forgo a fundamental right, I think that’s a big deal,” says an assistant attorney general. Gibson had previously worked for the Democratic candidate in the race as a volunteer, but he got the boot about a month before his email stunt over a disagreement about tweets he was sending out. The all-important final detail: Dean-Bailey, the candidate he tried to defeat, easily won Tuesday's election. (Sometimes it's the voters themselves caught in shady election behavior.)