After a five-year investigation, four individuals face charges in connection with an absentee ballot scandal during the 2019 Democratic primary races in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The suspects include a Democratic Party official, a City Council member and two campaign workers.
The arrests are as follows:
- Wanda Geter-Pataky: Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee’s vice chairperson.
- Alfredo Castillo: A Bridgeport City Council member.
- Nilsa Heredia: A campaign worker.
- Josephine Edmonds: Another campaign worker.
All four suspects are accused of tampering with ballots and unlawful possession of ballots during the 2019 primary mayoral election. Additionally, Geter-Pataky, Heredia and Castillo face charges of witness tampering.
Here’s some information on the case:
- In 2019, Geter-Pataky, Heredia and Castillo supported Bridgeport incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim, D, who narrowly defeated Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Conn., by just 270 votes in the primary.
- Edmonds worked for Moore’s campaign.
- After the election, allegations emerged regarding mishandling of absentee ballots, prompting the secretary of state to send a formal letter of referral to the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC).
- The SEEC opened an investigation but didn’t refer evidence of criminal conduct to the Division of Criminal Justice until June 2023, according to Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin.
Prosecutors allege that some suspects misrepresented eligibility requirements for absentee ballot voters, were present during ballot filling and even influenced voters’ candidate choices.
Griffin stated that Castillo denied helping a prospective voter fill out an application but later admitted to filling out portions of it.
Edmonds is accused of being present when four prospective voters filled out their absentee ballots and took possession of them.
“I hope these prosecutions will send a message that deters tampering with election results in the future in Connecticut,” Griffin said in a statement.
In a related incident, Straight Arrow News reported a ballot stuffing scandal in November 2023, where surveillance video allegedly shows Geter-Pataky stuffing multiple ballots into drop boxes. In the subsequent mayoral race, Ganim defeated challenger John Gomes by 251 votes. Gomes’ campaign filed a lawsuit, citing evidence of election tampering from the video.
Geter-Pataky pled the Fifth when asked to testify about her actions in the video footage. Superior Court Judge William Clark ordered a re-vote in the city’s mayoral election, resulting in Ganim securing another four years in office.
Mayor Ganim denies any wrongdoing related to the ballot scandal, despite a previous federal corruption-related conviction in 2003, for which he spent seven years in prison.
All four suspects are due in court on June 24.
