NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
What to Know
- Paterson Council Speaker Alex Mendez allegedly stole mail-in ballots along with his wife and two campaign supporters to rig the 2020 election — new allegations that are far broader and more serious than when Mendez was first charged with election fraud in 2021
- The criminal conspiracy was done to get himself elected in 2020, according to the state attorney general, who said that Mendez, his wife and two campaign supporters stole mail-in ballots from residents’ mailboxes, filled some out, and then tried to mail in fakes in an effort to win
- Investigators said that in all, hundreds of ballots were stolen, falsified or improperly delivered during the pandemic, when mail-in ballots was how votes were cast
The city council president of New Jersey’s third-largest city personally directed an election fraud scheme to help win his seat, according to the state attorney general.
Paterson Council Speaker Alex Mendez allegedly stole mail-in ballots along with his wife and two campaign supporters to rig the 2020 election — new allegations that are far broader and more serious than when Mendez was first charged with election fraud in 2021.
The criminal conspiracy was done to get himself elected in 2020, according to the state attorney general, who said that Mendez, his wife and two campaign supporters stole mail-in ballots from residents’ mailboxes, filled some out, and then tried to mail in fakes in an effort to win.
Mendez and others tried “to rig an election in their favor and to deprive the voters of Paterson of having their voices heard,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
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Investigators said that in all, hundreds of ballots were stolen, falsified or improperly delivered during the pandemic, when mail-in ballots was how votes were cast.
The charges include conspiracy to commit election fraud, forgery, falsifying records and witness tampering.
“In a case like this, with allegations as strong as they are, it certainly can undermine the public trust,” said former federal prosecutor David Miller, who added that some of the counts can carry up to 5 to 10 years in state prison.
NBC New York first reported in 2020 on how hundreds of Paterson ballots were discovered stuffed in a mailbox in the nearby town of Haledon.
It appears one insider in the alleged scheme flipped on Mendez. According to the complaint, the insider alleged Mendez was there as “over 300 mail-in ballots” were placed “into the Haledon postal box.”
Prosecutors said Mendez is on “an audio recording discussing a false story to tell if any person questioned him about the Haledon ballots,” and that Mendez allegedly talked about “personally completed a false voter registration.” Prosecutors also claim Mendez later directed others to “delete communications” about the voting fraud scheme.
“The courts and the prosecutors take allegations of witness tampering and obstruction very seriously,” Miller said.
Mendez has previously denied any wrongdoing and has said he plans to run for re-election in May. Another councilmember, Michael Jackson, was also previously charged with election fraud in the 2020 election. Jackson too denies wrongdoing.
Mendez and the others charged in this case won’t appear in court on the new charges until early December, with any trial still likely many months away, and with Councilmembers Mendez and Jackson staying in office as accused criminals.
Mendez’s attorney declined to comment. Mendez has previously denied any wrongdoing and indicated he planned to still seek re-election.
The mayor and the attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
