Winner of Salt Lake school board race faces election bribery charges

A Salt Lake City School Board member is being accused of attempting to bribe his political opponent. 

The Utah Attorney General’s Office on Monday filed an indictment in 3rd District Court charging Mohamed Baayd, 49, of committing “bribery in elections,” a third-degree felony. 

Baayd, the incumbent, won reelection after beating his challenger Russell Askren in the Nov. 5 election with 64.2% of the vote to Askren’s 35.78%, according to official election results. The men were the only two candidates on the ballot. 

Heading into election season, Baayd and Askren met together for the first time in a coffee shop on March 7, according to the charging document. 

“After chatting for about forty minutes about family, children, schools, their concerns and motivations, the chit chat ended,” charging documents say. “Baayd told Mr. Askren that he knew a councilmember position was going to open in two years and that he was planning to run and had a very good chance of winning. Baayd stated that it was important for him to remain in his current position and asked Mr. Askren to withdraw from the election and allow Baayd to be re-elected.”

In exchange for withdrawing from the race, Baayd told Askren “for the next two years he would involve (Askren) in the work of the board and make sure he got to know all of the members of the board and the district superintendent,” according to the charging document. 

“Baayd explained that if he won the councilmember position, he would advocate for Mr. Askren and recommend to the board that they appoint him as a replacement,” the charging document says. “Baayd further explained that Mr. Askren would complete the last two years of Baayd’s seat and then be able to run as incumbent in 2028.” 

Baayd told Askren that he wanted an answer by the end of the week, according to the charging document.

Three days later, on March 10, Baayd sent Askren a text that read: “Following up on our meeting and the offer on the table. What have you decided?” the charges say. 

Askren replied that “he would be ‘continuing his campaign’ and that ‘withdrawing in exchange for your support and help to position me for a mid-term appointment’ was something he did not want any part of,” according to the charges. 

Utah law prohibits bribery in elections. The code says “a person may not, directly or indirectly … give, offer, or promise any office, place, or employment, or to promise or procure, or endeavor to procure, any office, place, or employment, to or for any voter, or to or for any other person, in order to” persuade a voter to vote or refrain from voting or “obtain the political support or aid of any person.” 

In response to a text message seeking comment about the charges, Baayd initially told Utah News Dispatch, “no comment.”

About an hour later, he responded with another text that read: “Based on the advice of counsel I’m not commenting on the case at this time other than to say that I’m an innocent man, and am entitled to the presumption of innocence under the constitution, and I look forward to my day in court and to continuing to serve the community to the best of my ability.”

Officials with the Salt Lake City School District and the school board did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. 

A conviction for a third-degree felony in Utah carries a potential sentence of zero to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.