Nearly Five Years Later, Four Charged with “Election Fraud” in Bridgeport

by Sharon Rondeau

(Jun. 11, 2024) — As was reported by the CTPost and other local outlets Tuesday morning, four individuals were charged with election-related crimes arising from the 2019 Democrat primary mayoral race in the city of Bridgeport, CT.

At least two of the four reportedly surrendered to Connecticut State Police earlier today.

As the result of a 2000 constitutional amendment, Connecticut has no county sheriffs, which followed the abolition of county government in 1960.

Those arrested — Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee Vice Chairman Wanda Geter-Pataky, City Councilman and Ganim supporter Alfredo Castillo, Ganim supporter Nilsa Heredia, and Josephine Edmonds, who supported the 2019 Democrat challenger to Ganim — “were charged with multiple counts of election fraud in connection with absentee ballots for the 2019 mayoral primary,” CTPost reported.

The 2019 charges claim the defendants collectively assisted voters in completing absentee ballots without properly reporting it as well as of “misrepresenting eligibility requirements” and pressuring voters to cast their ballots for a particular candidate.

The State Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC) conducted an investigation into the allegations which as of last June were referred to the state’s chief attorney, CTInsider reported. At the time, Edmonds was not named as a subject in the probe, which was reportedly lengthened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ganim won both the 2019 and 2023 Democrat primaries by margins of fewer than 300 votes resulting from absentee ballots.

In 2019, State Sen. Marilyn Moore unsuccessfully challenged Ganim, who has served as Bridgeport mayor for a total of eight terms, though not completely consecutive. After 2003, Ganim spent seven years in prison on convictions stemming from federal corruption charges but returned to politics in 2015, ultimately regaining his previous position.

Last year, a former administrator in Ganim’s office, John Gomes, mounted a primary campaign which brought national attention to the city’s alleged voting irregularities dating back years. Days after Bridgeport’s September 2023 mayoral primary, Gomes released video footage appearing to show Geter-Pataky, a city hall employee, placing papers into a drop box outside of the Bridgeport Government Center prior to the election.

Ganim’s campaign in turn accused the Gomes campaign of mishandling absentee ballots.

Although Connecticut now permits in-person early voting, numerous restrictions on who may obtain and return absentee ballots remain in place.

The Gomes campaign filed suit against Bridgeport Town Clerk Charles Clemons Jr., which led to Superior Court Judge William Clark’s ordering of a new Democratic mayoral primary in January.

Ultimately, Ganim prevailed over Gomes and remains in office today.

Stemming from last year’s primary revelations, in early May the Connecticut-based organization Fight Voter Fraud, Inc. (FVF), launched by Linda Szynkowicz in 2018, brought two criminal complaints from three Bridgeport citizens to the Connecticut Superior Court to effect the immediate arrests of Geter-Pataky and another individual.

Attorney Cameron Atkinson represents the organization, whose complaints cited Connecticut General Statute (CGS) 9-368 as their basis. The statute reads:

Upon the written complaint of any three electors of a town in which a violation of any law relating to elections has occurred to any judge of the superior court for the judicial district within which the offense has been committed, supported by oath or affirmation that the complainants have good reason to believe and do believe that the allegations therein contained are true and can be proved, such judge shall issue a warrant for the arrest of the accused.

After the Superior Court declined to take action, FVF appealed to the state Supreme Court. Oral argument was presented May 1, with a decision pending.

Of Tuesday’s development, in a statement early Tuesday evening Atkinson told The Post & Email:

We are happy that the Chief State’s Attorney took a small step toward cleaning up years of entrenched corruption in Bridgeport elections. There is much work left to be done though, including for crimes committed during the 2023 mayoral primary. We will continue to pursue our case at the CT Supreme Court until we hold everyone involved accountable.

A statement from Szynkowicz reads:

We’re thrilled to see the justice system work to uphold the integrity of our elections as we await the decision in our recent case before the Connecticut Supreme Court. We remain committed to ensuring one vote for every legal voter.