The sitting president of the Paterson City Council, already under indictment in a 2020 election fraud probe, faces new charges after state authorities say they uncovered evidence that he “personally collected ballots” in violation of New Jersey election law and tampered with witnesses in the case.
The fresh accusations against Alex Mendez provide new details in an long-looming vote-by-mail fraud probe that drew national attention after former President Donald Trump invoked the case in his attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential race.
Mendez, who represents the city’s 3rd Ward, now faces nine counts ranging from conspiracy to commit election fraud to forgery and witness tampering, according to the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which brought the charges. The accusations stem from Paterson’s May 2020 municipal race…
In court documents made public Wednesday, state prosecutors additionally allege Mendez’s associates “stole ballots from residential mailboxes,” tossing several “that did not cast a vote for their candidate” in the trash.