NY Democrat faked signatures on election petition — including 3 dead people: prosecutors
An suburban New York councilman was charged after he submitted election petitions with fraudulent signatures — including three dead people, according to prosecutors and a report.
Rob Scott, 44, a Democrat serving on Peekskill Common Council, allegedly submitted a 2023 petition to run for a county lawmaker seat that was signed by individuals who died in 2012, 2017, and 2022, the Rockland/Westchester Journal News reported.
Eight other individuals whose names were included in the 37-page petition told prosecutors they’d never signed it.
Those and the dead men’s signatures were among the 537 on the petition Scott allegedly certified that he had witnessed himself.
He was arrested on April 16 and charged with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, a felony that could land him up to four years in prison.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. Undermining the petition process in an attempt to get on the ballot in an election violates the public’s trust,” Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said in a statement.
Scott’s petition — which sought to include him on a ballot to challenge County Legislator Colin Smith — was rejected by the Westchester Board of Elections over insufficient signatures.
Two people whose names were included on the petition notified authorities, which sparked an investigation into other names on the petition, according to the report.
The owner of a local juice bar, Scott denied forging the signatures, and claimed he cross referenced each name with county records.
He will be arraigned on April 30 in White Plains City Court.
