New Jersey Democrats Face New Charges Over Election Fraud Involving Mail-In Ballots and Voter Registrations
City Council President Alex Mendez
New Jersey’s Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has added new charges to an ongoing election-fraud case involving Democrat Alex Mendez, the Paterson City Council President, and several alleged co-conspirators. According to the Attorney General, the defendants are accused of attempting to rig the election, tampering with ballots, and obstructing the course of justice through witness tampering.
Mendez was initially indicted on election fraud charges in 2021. Now, fresh charges have been brought against him, his wife Yohanny Mendez, and two other Paterson residents, Omar Ledesma and Iris Rigo. The revelations came after an extensive investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), which itself was prompted when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service found hundreds of mail-in ballots for the May 2020 Paterson municipal election suspiciously stashed in a mailbox in a neighboring municipality.
