And here we go again!
Voter fraud is being uncovered all across the nation.
While many suspected this had been going on for years, we’re now seeing it being exposed.
Is it any coincidence that this is happening during Donald Trump’s presidency?
You decide.
The latest example comes from Connecticut where former chairman of the Democrat City Committee has been charged with absentee ballot fraud and forgery!
We already know what our readers think of absentee ballots, because we receive messages from you every day.
Is this another example of a situation ripe with opportunity for abuse?
It’s looking like it.
From WTNH:
The former chairman of Stamford's Democratic City Committee has been charged with absentee ballot fraud and forgery.
Prosecutors say 60-year-old John Mallozzi, of Stamford, orchestrated the filing of 29 fraudulent absentee ballot applications and 26 fraudulent ballots during the 2015 municipal elections, many involving members of the city's Albanian community.
A message was left Wednesday with Mallozzi's attorney seeking comment.
He faces 14 counts each of forgery and making a false statement in absentee balloting. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Prosecutors say a complaint was filed by the Republican registrar of voters after a resident whose name was listed on an absentee ballot that had been submitted by Mallozzi showed up in person to vote on Election Day.
And from the local News12:
The former chairman of the Stamford Democratic Party turned himself in Wednesday on voter fraud charges stemming from the 2015 city election.
John Mallozzi faces 14 counts of false statements on an absentee ballot and 14 counts of second-degree forgery.
Mallozzi turned himself in Wednesday morning at the Stamford Police Department. News 12 Connecticut was there as he walked in with his attorney, Stephan Seeger.
The state filed a warrant for his arrest today after complaints from the state Elections Enforcement Commission about absentee ballots cast in the 2015 city election.
Mayor David Martin released a statement saying he hopes the charges aren't true, but "hopes these charges will lead to renewed faith in our society's belief in democracy and justice."
Seeger says his client is cooperating with the state’s attorney.
Here's more, from the Stamford Advocate:
John Mallozzi, the city’s former Democratic Party chief, was arrested Wednesday on charges of absentee ballot fraud in the 2015 municipal election. He allegedly forged ballots for relatives, Spanish-speaking residents and Albanian-Americans new to the election system, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Mallozzi was charged with 14 counts each of filing false statements and second-degree forgery. He turned himself in to Stamford police on the charges, both Class D felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000 per count.
Bail was set at $50,000.
Mallozzi, a longtime figure in city politics, chaired the Stamford Democratic City Committee from 2012 to 2016, and was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee. He played a key role in Mayor David Martin’s 2013 election victory.
Investigators with the State’s Attorney’s Office in Stamford allege that Mallozzi’s handwriting matched that of signatures on 14 absentee ballots assigned to voters who said they never requested them.
According to the arrest affidavit, the town clerk’s office wrote Mallozzi’s initials on 34 ballot applications to indicate they went to him. A state forensic scientist determined that 14 of the resulting ballots were fraudulent, the affidavit states.
State’s Attorney Richard J. Colangelo Jr. said the probe was limited to the one election, in which Stamford voters chose city representatives and members of the finance and school boards.
“We investigated the 2015 election,” Colangelo said Wednesday. “Anything prior to that, there were no records for us to look at.”
‘Good faith’
Mallozzi’s attorney, Stephan Seeger, said his client is taking the allegations very seriously.
“Mr. Mallozzi has fully cooperated, honoring all of the state’s attorney’s requests for assistance in the investigation,” Seeger said by email. “He has been an active participant in community politics for three decades, and has faced these allegations head-on from the outset, because he believes in the system and its inherent fairness.”
Allegations of election irregularities “in our current political climate stir up deep-seated emotions,” Seeger said. “Accordingly, this case could easily be misunderstood as one involving an attempt to skew election results, or gain an unfair advantage. However, nothing could be further from the truth.”
Rather, Mallozzi’s conduct “was cloaked in good faith,” Seeger said.
“That is why any irregularity for which he has been charged does not rise to the level of criminal conduct,” he said. “If you take a look at the whole picture, it becomes clear that absentee ballot procedures lend themselves to what might be referred to as procedural complacencies.”
Mallozzi will plead not guilty to the charges and will continue to work with Colangelo’s office toward a “fair resolution,” Seeger said.
“And if there is a silver lining in any of this, the absentee ballot procedures will be revisited and tightened, rules with oversight will lead toward increased election integrity instead of suspicion,” he said.
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