Early last year, as the voter fraud trial in upstate New York was getting under way, a Democrat Committeeman named Anthony DeFiglio claimed that falsifying records and forging signatures on ballots was simply “a normal political tactic”.
He himself would plead guilty to falsifying business records, and was identified as being one of three Democrats who convinced two mentally disabled men to sign absentee ballots, which were later filled in for them. For his efforts, DeFiglio was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Other colleagues received similar sentences for similar crimes, with one former Councilman being hit with six months of jail time.
This normal political tactic has again entered the spotlight with the recent arrests of Assemblymen Eric Stevenson and Nelson Castro. Castro became an undercover informant in the Stevenson case, in exchange for possibly having four-year-old perjury charges dropped.
Today, the indictment involving Castro’s charges was unsealed, and revealed that he would also be granted immunity from prosecution for other crimes.
Those other crimes?
“An alleged scheme to forge or fraudulently obtain signatures for a petition to get on the Assembly election ballot, and another scheme to fraudulently register 30 people in his Bronx district who did not actually live there.”
The New York Post provides further details:
Specifically, Castro would not be prosecuted for his participation in “a scheme” in June 2008 “to forge or otherwise fraudlently obtain signatures on petitions” to become an Assembly candidate, according to his non-prosecution agreement with the Manhattan US Attorney.
He also would not be prosecuted for “a scheme” that same months “to fraudulently register approximately 30 individuals to vote within the 86th District when, in fact, those individuals resided outside of the 86th District,” the agreement said.
So we now have verified voter fraud and forgery in upstate New York, and downstate New York. With corruption in the Empire State so rampant right now, it’s difficult to determine who pioneered these methods of voter fraud. Did upstate teach downstate? Did city politicians teach Capital Region politicians?
Regardless, it’s readily apparent that Democrats throughout the state have cornered the market on this “normal political tactic”.
Four Democrats involved in an upstate New York voter fraud scandal were sentenced yesterday for their respective roles, receiving punishments ranging from hundreds of hours of community service, to jail time. The group consisted of a former city clerk, an ex-City Councilman, a Democrat operative, and a Committeeman who a year ago had declared ballot forgery in upstate New York to be “a normal political tactic“.
Those sentenced yesterday were cooperating witnesses in a scheme which saw dozens of voters testify that absentee ballots had been submitted in their names during the 2009 Working Families Party (WFP) primary. Securing the WFP line allowed Democrat candidates to obtain more votes in the general election.
Two others were tried together earlier in the year but a mistrial was declared after jurors were unable to sort through the hundreds of charges that both faced.
Later, tried separately, Michael LoPorto was acquitted when a WFP operative “augmented” her testimony, and Ed McDonough similarly was acquitted after a colleague so egregiously altered his testimony that the judge struck everything he said from the record.
Despite the questionable circumstances surrounding those acquittals, witnesses throughout both trials provided a glimpse into the seedy political underworld in upstate New York.
Democrats preyed on those they felt were the most vulnerable members of society, those making easy targets for their voter fraud scheme.
For instance:
They targeted these people because of their susceptibility to such fraud, but also the unlikeliness that these groups would ever catch on to the scheme, and if so, the unlikeliness that they would ever report it.
The Democrats sentenced yesterday admitted to a range of criminal activity – from falsifying business records, to offering a false instrument, straight up to flat-out forgery.
Here is a summary of yesterday’s sentencing:
Anthony DeFiglio
DeFiglio was the man who claimed the process of ballot forgery was simply a “normal political tactic” and an accepted way of winning elections. He pled guilty to falsifying business records and was identified as being one of three men who convinced two mentally disabled men to sign absentee ballots which were later filled in for them.
With that, DeFiglio was ordered to stay out of trouble for three years and complete 100 hours of community service by September.
William McInerney
McInerney admitted to forging hundreds of ballots and applications but only had to plead guilty to one in exchange for his testimony. He confessed to targeting those in low-income housing situations, and admitted to committing forgery since at least 2007. During the trial for LoPorto and McDonough, defense attorney Brian Premo suggested that McInerney could have been charged with several hundred felonies.
Adding insult to injury, McInerney also testified about a drunk driving conviction, had to answer questions about a sexual harassment claim which led to his termination at a job with the New York State Legislature, and having an order of protection issued for stalking his ex-wife.
He was given 90 days in a Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department work program and avoided jail time.
Anthony Renna
Renna, despite already having been charged with the felony act of offering a false instrument for filing, laughably claimed during the trial that he “wasn’t involved in any criminal procedures.”
His was the testimony that was stricken from the record because he had perjured himself during the McDonough trial.
Despite the readily apparent perjury and admission of forgery, Renna avoided jail time and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
John Brown
Brown was a former City Councilman in Troy who faced the prospect of seven years in jail for his role in the ballot forgeries. A plea deal sought to reduce those charges in exchange for his cooperation.
When the investigation into the Democrats activities started to heat up, Brown concocted a schemein which he tried to convince WFP members to put out a press release blaming the entire scandal on former city DPW Commissioner Bob Mirch, a Republican.
For his efforts, Brown was sentenced to six months in jail. The prosecutor had tried to argue that Brown be allowed to serve the jail time on weekends so as not to interfere with his new job, a motion the judge struck down.
Summary
James Gordon, Chairman of the Troy Republican Committee said, having been a part of the election process for a number of years that he has, “never heard or seen anything resembling these actions.”
Aside from those mentioned above, two other Democrats, former Council President Clement Campana and Councilman Gary Galuski remain under indictment awaiting to hear their fate.
Another current member of the City Council in Troy, Kevin McGrath, confessed to being a convicted felon during the trials, joked about his drug-peddling past (a remark that prompted an apology to the judge), and confessed to “commit(ing) crimes in this case”.
McGrath was given what the former Democrat Party Chairman described as “the deal of a lifetime”, avoiding prosecution and jail time, despite crimes that outweighed what others had been charged with.
Four Democrats sentenced. Two more under indictment. Two acquitted due to altered testimony. And another who somehow escaped criminal prosecution despite an admission and a prior felony conviction.
The upstate New York voter fraud scandal should serve as a reminder that fraud doesn’t simply occur at the national level. But it should also be a concern for those who value the integrity of the election process. These men forged ballots and received incredibly tame punishments for that fact.
Will the slap on the wrist sentencing empower others to do the same?
This story first appeared at FreedomWorks
Nothing to see here … There is no such thing as voter fraud, didn’t you know?
Except for the 19 cases currently being investigated in the crucial 2012 swing state of Ohio…
Via the National Review:
The Hamilton County Board of Elections is investigating 19 possible cases of alleged voter fraud that occurred when Ohio was a focal point of the 2012 presidential election. A total of 19 voters and nine witnesses are part of the probe.
Democrat Melowese Richardson has been an official poll worker for the last quarter century and registered thousands of people to vote last year. She candidly admitted to Cincinnati’s Channel 9 this week that she voted twice in the last election.
WCPO in Cincinnati reports:
According to county documents, Richardson’s absentee ballot was accepted on Nov. 1, 2012 along with her signature. On Nov. 11, she told an official she also voted at a precinct because she was afraid her absentee ballot would not be counted in time.
…
Richardson voted at the Madisonville Recreation Center where she worked as a paid worker on Election Day.
Richardson also admitted to sending an absentee ballot in for her granddaughter, who also subsequently voted in person on election day.
Three additional absentee ballots were also generated from Richardson’s home address, and all bore similar handwriting.
But if you’re looking for remorse out of Richardson for having allegedly committed the felony act of voter fraud, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Richardson justifies her actions saying…
“Absolutely. Absolutely, I’ll fight it for Mr. Obama and for Mr. Obama’s right to sit as president of the United States.”
Democrat and local school board member, Ed McDonough is on trial in upstate New York for his alleged role in a voter fraud scheme that has already seen numerous colleagues implicated, of which four have already pled guilty.
One of those colleagues, Dan Brown, brother and former campaign manager for Democrat City Councilman John Brown, received immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony. Monday’s testimony may have revealed new depths to which the Democrats were willing to stoop in order to win elections.
Mind you, we’ve already heard prior testimony that gives insight into just who the Democrats felt were the most vulnerable members of society, those making easy targets for their voter fraud scheme.
For instance:
Armed with a clipboard and walk sheet — showing the names, addresses, and other information about the “friendlies” — Brown headed to District 1 with Thomas Aldrich, a WFP operative.
Among those the pair solicited to fill out absentee ballot applications were Nadine Lagace and Terrance Conway, a couple living on Third Avenue. Brown knew they had not been intending to vote because Conway, due to a recent stroke, would have had a hard time getting to the polls.
After convincing Lagace and Conway to sign their absentee ballot applications, Brown set about filling in the excuse field for them, and without their knowledge.
Acting as a voting agent, Brown said he filled in the box indicating “illness” on the application.
Special Prosecutor Trey Smith then showed Lagace a copy of her ballot application which not only had the box for illness indicated, but also stated she would be in Vermont on the day of the primary. He asked her if she had, indeed, been in Vermont on the primary.
“I don’t know how to get to Vermont,” testified Lagace, nor, she said, did she and Conway have the ability to get there as he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer.
The act of having her vote stolen left Lagace scarred, claiming she’ll never vote again.
Voluntarily anyway.
Remember, this was a targeted voter fraud scheme that one Democrat claimed was “commonplace” over multiple decades, “a normal political tactic”, and “an accepted way of winning elections”.
Stroke victim or cancer patients be damned.
That’s simply unprecedented voting wizardry right there – nothing to do with voter fraud.
Via Philly.com:
It’s one thing for a Democratic presidential candidate to dominate a Democratic city like Philadelphia, but check out this head-spinning figure: In 59 voting divisions in the city, Mitt Romney received not one vote. Zero. Zilch.These are the kind of numbers that send Republicans into paroxysms of voter-fraud angst, but such results may not be so startling after all.
“We have always had these dense urban corridors that are extremely Democratic,” said Jonathan Rodden, a political science professor at Stanford University. “It’s kind of an urban fact, and you are looking at the extreme end of it in Philadelphia.”
…
Still, was there not one contrarian voter in those 59 divisions, where unofficial vote tallies have President Obama outscoring Romney by a combined 19,605 to 0?
Weasel Zippers adds this graphic from Cleveland precincts:
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