But they said it was unlikely that significant fraud took place during voting or the counting of ballots.
Still, the fraud perpetrated late Friday night takes fiscal chicanery to a completely new level.
The settlement bars poll workers who served at the nine sites where the fraud took place from serving in future elections.
There is no presumption that fraud or error has taken place.
Proving that fraud took place during the merger requires only misstatements.
To be sure, the industry has some protections, but when real fraud takes place, there is little for non-Californians to do short of going to court.
The various frauds described took place from 1980 to as recently as last year.
Detecting fraud can take months, if not years, and even then fraud is difficult to prove in court.
You should contact the organisation where the fraud has taken place.
The fraud took place during a complicated ratification process that involved 56 union locals and stretched out over two months.