Top federal prosecutor in Alaska says criminal probe underway over would-be spoiler Senate candidate

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Alaska confirmed on Friday the existence of a criminal investigation related to an alleged scheme to confuse voters by putting a candidate on the ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent.

Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman would not say what potential crimes authorities are looking into or the targets of the probe, but said he encourages the public to come forward with tips that could help investigators.

“When credible information comes out, we are committed to pursuing that information to deceive voters and we will act on it. We are acting on it intensely and swiftly,” Heyman said.

Heyman's announcement comes after The New York Times reported that Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as part of an alleged effort to confuse voters.

Peltola denied Thursday that she knew anything about the effort to put him on the ballot.