TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that a Newark man pleaded guilty
today to submitting fraudulent absentee
ballots while working for the 2007 campaign
of Teresa Ruiz for the New Jersey Senate
in the 29th District.
According
to Director Taylor, Angel Colon, 48, of
Newark, pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree
election fraud before Superior Court Judge
Pedro J. Jimenez Jr. in Mercer County. Under
his plea agreement, the state will recommend
that Colon be sentenced to three years in
state prison. Judge Jimenez scheduled Colon
to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2012.
“We
will not tolerate conduct that deprives
citizens of the right to vote or corrupts
the free and fair election process that
is the foundation of our democracy,”
said Attorney General Dow. “This prosecution
should serve as a deterrent to those who
would attempt to illegally manipulate the
election process in New Jersey.”
“We
will thoroughly investigate any allegations
of voter fraud and aggressively prosecute
individuals who are found to have disenfranchised
voters,” said Director Taylor. “Colon
admitted that he fraudulently submitted
messenger ballots on behalf of voters without
their knowledge, and we know that, in at
least once instance, it resulted in a voter
being turned away at a polling place.”
The
charge stems from an investigation by the
Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau and the Essex County Prosecutor’s
Office Corruption Unit. Deputy Attorney
General Vincent J. Militello took the guilty
plea for the state.
On
March 3, 2010, Gianine Narvaez, 38, of Belleville,
a former data processing technician for
the Essex County Commissioner of Registration
and Superintendent of Elections, pleaded
guilty to absentee ballot fraud and tampering
with public records or information, both
third-degree offenses. She is awaiting sentencing.
The state will recommend that she be sentenced
to three years in prison, including a mandatory
two-year term of parole ineligibility. She
forfeited her job and public pension, and
she is permanently barred from public employment
in New Jersey.
In
March 2011, Ruiz’s husband, former
Essex County Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez,
agreed to forfeit his seat on the freeholder
board and his position as an aide to Newark
City Councilman Anibal Ramos and was admitted
into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program
by Judge Jimenez. If he successfully completes
the program, charges filed against him in
the case will be dismissed.
The
defendants were charged in multiple indictments
in connection with absentee ballots they
collected and submitted as workers for Ruiz’s
2007 campaign for the New Jersey Senate.
They were charged with tampering with documentation
for messenger ballots and fraudulently submitting
such ballots as votes in the Nov. 6, 2007
general election. They were charged with
fraudulently submitting absentee ballots
on behalf of residents who never received
the ballots or had an opportunity to cast
their votes.
At
the time of the election, messenger ballots
were only for voters homebound due to illness,
infirmity or disability. Such persons can
complete an application designating a messenger
or bearer who is a family member or a registered
voter in the county. The bearer is authorized
to obtain an absentee ballot from the county
board of elections, take it to the voter,
and return a completed ballot to the county
board. New rules regarding such ballots
have since been adopted.
The
investigation was led for the Division of
Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau by Deputy
Attorney General Militello, Deputy Attorney
General Perry Primavera, Deputy Attorney
General Christopher Romanyshyn, Sgt. James
Scott and Sgt. Lisa Shea. It was conducted
for the Essex County Prosecutor’s
Office Corruption Unit by former Assistant
Prosecutor Brandon Minde, Detective David
Sanabria and Detective Elizabeth Bazan.
Valuable assistance was provided by Analyst
Kathleen Ratliff and all of the detectives
in the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau North.
Attorney
General Dow and Director Taylor noted that
the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption
Bureau has established a toll-free tipline
1-866-TIPS-4CJ for the
public to report corruption, financial crime
and other illegal activities. Additionally,
the public can log on to the Division of
Criminal Justice Web page at www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will
remain confidential.
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