Four Democratic operatives in Connecticut have been charged with voter fraud months after one was seen in shocking footage that allegedly showed evidence of vote tampering.
Two campaign workers in Bridgeport, along with Bridgeport City Councilman Alfredo Castillo and city committee Vice Chairwoman Wanda Geter-Pataky, were charged this week with election crimes.
The charges relate to the Democratic primary in the 2019 Bridgeport mayoral election, and three of the defendants allegedly supported the eventual winner, Joe Ganim.
The charges come months after footage also allegedly showed Geter-Pataky vote-stuffing in the 2023 mayoral primary, and surveillance footage led a judge to order the election be reheld last November.
Bridgeport Committee Vice Chair Wanda Geter-Pataky was seen on surveillance footage allegedly stuffing ballots in the 2023 mayoral primary election. She is among four officers charged with voter fraud related to the 2023 election. 2019.
The charges were filed nearly five years after an investigation was launched into the alleged misuse of absentee ballots in the 2019 mayoral election.
The Connecticut Attorney General’s Office arrested Castillo and Geter-Pataky along with poll workers Nilsa Heredia, 61, and Josephine Edmonds, 62, for alleged crimes in the disputed election.
They are charged with illegal possession of absentee ballots, and Edmonds, Geter-Pataky and Heredia are also accused of tampering with a witness, according to the Stamford Lawyer.
According to prosecutors, the latter three misrepresented eligibility requirements so voters could vote absentee in the election.
The four defendants are also charged with a litany of other crimes related to voter fraud, including Geter-Pataky and Castillo, for allegedly failing to sign as an assistant on an absentee ballot.
It is unclear whether they pleaded guilty, as all four were released and are scheduled to appear in court again on June 24.
Geter-Pataky, left, and Bridgeport City Councilman Alfredo Castillo, right, are among four Democratic operatives charged with voter fraud.
Campaign workers Nilsa Heredia, left, and Josephine Edwards, right, allegedly mishandled absentee ballots during the 2019 election.
While unrelated to the charges, Bridgeport’s mayoral election made national headlines in 2023, when a state judge sensationally overturned the primary election after surveillance footage emerged.
In the footage, Geter-Pataky and another woman were allegedly seen making several trips around the city to put absentee ballots in mailboxes.
At the time, Superior Court Judge William Clark said the surveillance “casts serious doubt on the outcome of the primary election and leaves the court unable to determine the legitimate outcome of the primary.”
The judge cited statistics showing abnormally large numbers of absentee ballots were cast in certain precincts and video evidence shows several people shoving stacks of ballots into drop boxes, in violation of state law.
Ganim won the original election by only 251 votes out of 8,173 cast, but won more convincingly in the recount and in the subsequent general election. The mayor of Bridgeport has denied knowledge of alleged voter fraud.
Following charges related to the 2019 race, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont insisted that “justice will be done.”
“This has gone on too long and I’m very glad the state’s attorney stepped in,” Lamont said.
‘I think the fact that the state’s attorney is pressing charges… I think it will make anyone who wants to commit fraud like this think twice. “We will hold them accountable.”
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim won the 2019 and 2023 elections by razor-thin margins and has denied knowledge of alleged voter fraud.
Wanda Geter-Pataky, center, seen giving testimony in court during a challenge to the results of the 2023 primary election, where she was accused of vote tampering.
Connecticut Chief State Attorney Patrick Griffin added in a statement Tuesday that “the integrity of our voting process is vital to our democracy.”
‘I appreciate the attention and time the State Attorney’s Office devoted to these investigations. “I hope these prosecutions send a message that will discourage future tampering with election results in Connecticut.”
Mayor Ganim, who previously served seven years in prison on federal corruption charges, said in a statement following the charges that the alleged crimes were “unacceptable.”
‘We all agree that the integrity of the voting process is vital to our democracy. Charges that question that integrity are cause for concern,” he said.
‘I am always in favor of maintaining voter rights and a fair election. Investigations relating to both 2019 campaigns are now in the hands of the courts and will be addressed through the justice system.
