Accusations roil town Primary campaign

Apr. 29—A Gilbert man who filed election challenges against two council candidates later threatened to present new evidence of "fraud" with some of their nomination signatures if they didn't voluntarily drop out of the race.

Mike Webb filed the challenges against Noah Mundt and Kenny Buckland on April 15 and said he would amend his complaint to include the new evidence. Webb has ignored requests for comment.

Mundt's trial was scheduled for April 26, past the Gilbert Sun News' deadline. A judge dismissed the suit against Buckland last week.

Both Mundt and Buckland received almost identical letters, which claimed that one of their signature gatherers, an 18-year-old Highland High School student, "appears to have forged a number of signatures" on their petitions. The letters said he signed the petition sheets for people who forgot to sign.

To back up the claim, the two candidates also received an audio recording of private investigator Justin Yentes asking the student questions such as who trained him and how he went about collecting the signatures.

The teen in the recording said that he informed people that they could just initial the petition. He also told Yentes that he was paid per signature.

Yentes responded that several people have indicated that they did not even initial the document and did not know the teen or the two candidates running for council. He noted that the teen signed the back of the petitions swearing that he witnessed the people signing.

"Folks have signed affidavit saying that they did not sign these forms," Yentes tells the student. "They're claiming fraud and forgery on these.

"So I'll tell you, there's a lot of fraud that goes on in, in signature collections. I've been a signature verification auditor for a long time."

The youth was unaware he made mistakes and asks what is the worst that could happen to him. according to the recording.

"It's looking like forgery right now," Yentes responds. "Depending on how many were bogus, because, like on one page, I know I had, like 60% were false, were forged. If they're paying you by signature and you're submitting forged signatures for payment, that's what known as a fraudulent scheme, which is, it's a felony, it's Class 2."

The letters stated that evidence will be presented at trial and that it would be "embarrassing" for both candidates and put the teen "at risk of criminal prosecution."

Yentes, who is Accurso's campaign treasurer, said Webb and not Accurso initiated the challenge.

"Mike asked if he could hire my agency to work on some sheets for Buckland, which I accepted," Yentes said. "I didn't know Buckland before this issue and had no feelings about him, good or bad. But I've done a lot of work with campaign and ballot petitions and am very familiar with the process."

Yentes said his role was supposed to be "pretty minimal" — "to look at some signatures and verify their authenticity."

He then said he was unable to go into more detail as he was asked to testify at the trial.

Both Mundt and Buckland were asked to sign and notarize a Statement of Withdrawal from the council race, which were attached to the emails sent to them, in order for Webb to drop his complaints. Both were given a deadline of April 21 to comply.

Mundt, a planning commissioner, said he didn't bother responding to his email from Webb's attorney.

"Mr. Webb is prepared to present this evidence at trial," the attorney told Mundt. "Doing so will not only be embarrassing for you and your political future, but it will also put (the student) at risk of criminal prosecution."

Buckland was told the same.

"In regard to the allegations of fraud, they are against an 18-year-old high school student that was hired by AZ Grassroots to collect signatures for Noah and me (and others), related to a small number of the overall signatures he collected," said Buckland, a retired Gilbert Police commander.

"After reviewing the recording from Mr. Webb's private investigator, Mr. Yentes, it is my opinion is there is no fraud based on the fact he wasn't trying to scheme or artifice to defraud and the lack of the required culpable mental state of 'knowingly' gaining a benefit."

Buckland said it was clear to him that the young man did not know what he did was wrong and was not trying to do anything illegal. He said it appeared to be a training issue.

"I cannot speak for Mr. Yentes but the fact he was asking about the training the circulator received and the fact Mr. Yentes stated he wouldn't have known those things when he was 18, also leads me to believe Mr. Yentes didn't think the young man knowingly did anything wrong or was trying to commit fraud," Buckland said.

Although both candidates intend to stay the course in their bids for office, one candidate decided to drop out.

Mayoral candidate Shane Krauser withdrew from the race last Wednesday.

He said that despite the community's support for his candidacy, he was suspending his campaign.

"Recently, a cardinal rule of politics was violated when my minor child was used by a media outlet and others as political fodder that, in turn, has placed my son in harm's way through false accusations, implication, and innuendo," Krauser said in a released statement. "For those who have condemned this outrageous, shameless maneuver, thank you for your courage.

"This campaign is no longer about me. We have devolved as a culture where we are unwilling to have a battle of ideas and, instead, are willing to now play politics with our children."

Some media showed a video of one of Krauser's sons with a group of teenagers, some identified as members of the Gilbert Goons accused of violent assaults on other youths.

"I will protect my children against such predatory acts, and remaining in the public eye as a candidate seems unreasonable and unwise given that vulturous scum who falsify facts and who prey on our children roam our community, both physically and virtually," Krauser continued.

He thanked his family and supporters and vowed to continue to advocate "for the cause of America, a country whose foundational principles are worth fighting for and restoring."

That said, he commented that Anderson will likely be the town's next mayor.

"He is a good man, and although we differ drastically on our core governing philosophy and have different ideas on where we should take our town, I wish him well as he prepares to take the mantle of leading Gilbert," Krauser said.