Criminal charges have been brought against five Democratic Party members

Criminal charges have been brought against five Democratic Party members in Bridgeport, CT, and Pennsylvania for voter fraud involving mail-in ballots.

Named individuals include Bridgeport city council members Maria Pereira, Alfredo Castillo, and Jazmarie Melendez, for misrepresenting absentee voter eligibility and fraudulent voting, with Wanda Geter-Pataky, vice chair of Bridgeport’s

Democratic Town Committee, facing 92 charges for conspiracy related to absentee ballots.

The investigation resulted in the following charges:

Castillo was charged with five counts of Misrepresenting Eligibility Requirements for Voting by Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-135(b), five counts of being Present When an Absentee Ballot Applicant Executes an Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(e) and eight counts of Possession of Ballots and Envelopes Restricted, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(d).

Geter-Pataky was charged with 42 counts of Possession of Ballots and Envelopes Restricted, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(d), two counts of Fraudulent Voting, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-360, 22 counts of Misrepresenting Eligibility Requirements for Voting by Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-135(b), 17 counts of being Present When an Absentee Ballot Applicant Executes an Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(e) and nine counts of Conspiracy to Commit Possession of Ballots and Envelopes Restricted, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes §§ 53a-48/9-140b(d).

Pereira was charged with 20 counts of Misrepresenting Eligibility Requirements for Voting by Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-135(b), four counts of being Present When an Absentee Ballot Applicant Executes an Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(e), five counts of Possession of Ballots and Envelopes Restricted, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(d), Forgery in the Second Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-139 and Disorderly Conduct, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-182.

Melendez was charged with six counts of Misrepresenting Eligibility Requirements for Voting by Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-135(b).

Joyce was charged with four counts of Misrepresenting Eligibility Requirements for Voting by Absentee Ballot, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-135(b), four counts of Possession of Ballots and Envelopes Restricted, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b(d) and Fraudulent Voting, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 9-360.