Election Fraud Cases

Michael DeFilippo

Michael DeFilippo, a Bridgeport City councilman and Democrat Party-endorsed candidate, was charged by the federal government with one count of conspiracy against rights, 3 counts of identity theft, and 11 counts of fraudulent registration after conspiring with others to request and submit fraudulent absentee ballots to be elected to the Bridgeport City Council during the 2017 and 2018 primary elections and the 2018 general election, which he won. DeFilippo, and others acting at his direction, fraudulently submitted Democratic political party affiliation applications and falsely registered and submitted absentee ballots on behalf of local university students who rented properties from DeFilippo. In some cases, he and the conspirators would assist his tenants with applications and in others, he would alter or forge party affiliation applications or request absentee ballots on their behalf, knowing those tenants did not meet criteria to vote absentee. In some cases, DeFilippo stole ballots from his tenants which he and his co-conspirators would fill out and fraudulently sign. DeFilippo, who resigned from the City Council after he was indicted, pleaded guilty to one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law in exchange for dismissal of the other charges and is awaiting sentencing.

Source: herit.ag/3WpCK1L , herit.ag/3WnTOFw , herit.ag/3Ydb6ql , herit.ag/3WBrIqB

Victor Cuevas

Victor Cuevas, a former Democrat Connecticut State Representative, was charged by the federal government with one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after submitting fraudulent signatures on a candidate ballot petition. Cuevas, who was on federal probation for bank fraud, ran a political consulting business called Yellow Dog Strategies. He was hired by a Democrat candidate to gather 1,000 ballot petition signatures to be eligible to run in the 2017 New Haven Probate Judge primary election. Cuevas and his co-conspirators fraudulently obtained ballot petition signatures by forging signatures of registered voters as well as forging the name and signature of a petition circulator to falsely authenticate voter signatures. When Cuevas and his co-conspirators were under investigation by the state election board for their forgery, Cuevas pressured the person whose signature he falsified as a circulator to sign a false affidavit. He pleaded guilty to the felony charge and was sentenced to 8 months in prison, 3 years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay $5,750 in restitution as well as a $100 special assessment.

Source: herit.ag/4falG7e , herit.ag/3y2wtQk , herit.ag/3Yevg2S , herit.ag/4676Fis

Bridgeport Municipal Mayoral Democratic Primary 2023 Election

The results of the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut Democratic mayoral primary election, which was held on September 12, 2023, were overturned due to absentee ballot fraud in an election where only 251 votes separated the winner (Joseph Ganim) and the loser (John Gomes). Superior Court Judge William Clark ordered that a new primary election between Ganim (the party-endorsed candidate) and Gomes (the challenger) should be held because an unusually large number of absentee ballots that were counted had been illegally placed in drop boxes by two unauthorized ballot distributors who were Ganim supporters: Wanda Geter-Pataky (a Democratic Town Committee member and the Leader of Voting District 136) and Eneida Martinez (a candidate for City Council). The court determined that videos of Geter-Pataky and Martinez illegally dropping off stacks of votes into various drop boxes “provided evidence of ballot harvesting, in violation of state law.” Geter-Pataky made 10 drops either directly or indirectly, and Martinez made 5 separate drops of multiple ballots. The court also found “the volume of ballots mishandled is such it calls the result of the primary election in serious doubt and unable to determine the legitimate result of the primary.”

Source: herit.ag/3TBYUNy

John Mallozzi

John Mallozzi, former Chair of the Stamford Democratic City Committee, was convicted following a bench trial of 14 counts of second-degree forgery and 14 counts of making false statements in absentee balloting. Mallozzi signed and submitted absentee ballots for individuals he did not know in connection with 2015 elections for spots on the Board of Finance, Board of Education, and Board of Representatives. The conduct involved 31 fraudulent applications and 26 fraudulent ballots.  He is awaiting sentencing. 

Source: https://herit.ag/3rwegE4v

Troy Stevenson

Troy Stevenson was convicted of making a false statement on an absentee ballot as well as second degree forgery, both class D felonies. He committed this crime on October 28, 2017, in connection with the November 2017 mayoral election in Stafford. Stevenson was given a three year suspended sentence.

Source: https://herit.ag/3tVrnid, https://herit.ag/39jnZEs

Betty Chappell

Betty Chappell was convicted of making a false statement on an absentee ballot as well as second degree forgery, both class D felonies. She committed this crime on October 28, 2017, in connection with the November 2017 mayoral election in Stafford. Chappell received a five year suspended sentence.

Source: https://herit.ag/3lHsMFx, https://herit.ag/39oGPtM

Christina Ayala

Former state representative Christina Ayala pleaded guilty to two counts of providing a false statement and was sentenced to a suspended one-year prison term followed by two years of conditional discharge. Ayala had voted in a series of elections, including the 2012 presidential election, in districts in which she did not live. When confronted about residency discrepancies by state investigators, Ayala fabricated evidence to corroborate her false residency claims. Before agreeing to a plea deal, she faced eight counts of fraudulent voting, 10 counts of primary or enrollment violations, and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. As a condition of her plea deal, she is barred from seeking elected office for two years.

Source: https://herit.ag/3lKrn0Q

Minnie Gonzalez

The State Elections Enforcement Commission ruled that State Rep. Minnie Gonzalez was "knowingly present" while four voters fraudulently filled out absentee ballots at City Hall during the 2006 election. She was fined $4,500 by the Commission. Gonzalez appealed the fine but lost in the state Superior Court.

Source: https://herit.ag/3zrLndF

Lydia Martinez

City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez admitted to illegally assisting in the filling out of absentee ballots, as well as encouraging those not eligible to vote absentee to do so. Martinez targeted residents of an assisted living home, Harborview Towers. She was ordered by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission to pay a $500 fine. This was not the first time she was fined by the Commission: In 2008, she was found liable to pay $664 to the Citizens Election Fund for the excess expenditures her campaign committee made for her failed run for the State House.

Source: https://herit.ag/3y9yqW0, https://herit.ag/3rCNqci

Carlos Lopez

Carlos Lopez and his wife, Luz Lopez, registered to vote and voted on three separate occasions (2004, 2006, and 2007) in Hartford, where they own a furniture store, while actually living in Farmington. Lopez and his wife were ordered to pay a civil penalty to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission in the amount of $2,000.

Source: https://herit.ag/3eZ7WPy

Luz Lopez

Luz Lopez and her husband, Carlos Lopez, registered to vote and voted on three separate occasions (2004, 2006, and 2007) in Hartford, where they own a furniture store, while actually living in Farmington. Lopez and her husband were ordered to pay a civil penalty to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission in the amount of $2,000.

Source: https://herit.ag/3zImWce

Lillian Cummings Stevenson

In 2009, Lillian Cummings Stevenson agreed to a consent order after the State Elections Enforcement Commission found her guilty of illegally signing and submitting two absentee ballot request forms on behalf of her sons, who were living in Europe. She was given a $200 fine.

Source: https://herit.ag/2ULKMFt

Prenzina Holloway

Prenzina Holloway, of Hartford, Connecticut, voted using another voter's absentee ballot in the 2004 Democratic primary. She was ordered to pay a civil penalty to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission in the amount of $10,000, but she was only required to pay $2,000 because of financial hardship. Ironically, she was later hired by the Hartford Democratic registrar of voters to work in connection with a 2009 municipal election.

Source: https://herit.ag/3iWBDlc, bit.ly/2uw0EtM

Barnaby Horton

Former state representative Barnaby Horton was charged with absentee ballot fraud after he was caught inducing elderly residents to cast absentee ballots for him. After a lengthy court battle, he pleaded guilty to felony charges of ballot fraud and agreed to pay a $10,000 fine, one of the largest fines ever imposed by the State Elections Enforcement Commission. A Superior Court judge sentenced Horton to two years' probation and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service.

Source: https://herit.ag/3rDnk9g

Eva Corrigan

Eva Corrigan admitted to failing to co-sign the absentee ballots of those she assisted. She was ordered by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission to pay a $100 civil penalty.

Source: bit.ly/2u4xi8p