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N.D. (AP) – Fifteen people, including eight North Dakota State University football players, have been formally charged with faking signatures on two North Dakota initiative petitions.
 
Cass County State’s Attorney Birch Burdick says the 15 are scheduled for their first court appearance Oct. 2. They’re charged with a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

The alleged fraud caused North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger to disqualify two initiatives from the ballot. They sought to set up a new conservation fund financed by oil taxes, and make marijuana legal to use to relieve pain.