Esther Phillips – Home Is Where the Hatred Is Review
Hoboken politico Frank Raia testified in his own federal vote-by-mail fraud trial that he did not straight his former campaign "captains" to ransom voters in the 2013 municipal races, exclaiming "I never bought a vote in my life!"
Past Marc Bussanich/Hudson County VIew
Banana U.S. Attorney Sean Farrell reminded U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martini'due south court that Raia's 3 former allies, Matt Calicchio, Michael Holmes and Freddie Frazier, testified under oath that he directed them to pay low-income residents in exchange for votes in 2013.
However, Raia simply dismissed their sworn testimony past saying that the trio acted on their own.
"You lot listened to all the testimony. You agreed earlier that it's illegal to bribe voters. They all admitted to bribing voters. They testified under oath that you told them to do that. So, all three guys merely decided on their own to bribe voters? They didn't tell you they were doing this? They're not telling the truth?," asked Farrell.
"I don't know what the truth was to them. I wasn't involved in what they were doing," Raia simply stated.
Farrell went on to remind Raia that it wasn't Holmes, Frazier or Calicchio running for part in 2013, just like they weren't the ones pushing for a aye vote on a referendum to gyre back rent controls since they aren't real estate developers (Raia is a developer).
"Again, they testified that you instructed them to bribe voters," Farrell pressed forward.
"How can I instruct them on what to do when I don't fifty-fifty instruct my own married woman," Raia responded.
For the side by side 20 or so minutes, Farrell would cite the many statements made by Raia'southward quondam friends, but Raia ultimately doubled down, exclaiming: "I never bought a vote in my life!"
Farrell impressed upon the jurors that although Raia was dismissing his former assembly every bit untrustworthy witnesses, there was a fourth dimension not also long ago when Raia and them were very close, reminding the jury that Raia even loaned Holmes $3,000.
Additionally, Farrell brought up the charge that Raia ordered his campaign team to bring back open ballots to Raia'due south social order at 520 Jefferson St. and then that he could personally check to see how people voted.
"They all testified that you wanted to see the ballots earlier they were mailed," said Farrell.
"They're all liars," responded Raia.
At the beginning of his cross-examination of Raia, Farrell commencement asked Raia if he understood how vote-by-mail service works, which involves ensuring that ballots are placed in an envelope and sealed before they are mailed to the Board of Elections or dropped off in person.
Farrell asked Raia, "You concord that bearers shouldn't tell voters who to vote for?," which Raia said, "agreed."
"Just bearers tin't accept unsealed ballots from voters, and they shouldn't be brought back to the campaign office. There'southward no circumstance a vote-by-mail election should exist brought dorsum to entrada headquarters," Farrell stated to Raia.
"Depends, it'due south upward to the bearer," Raia answered.
That response compelled Farrell to say that Raia requested a report well-nigh the voting tally from the lath of elections on 13 different occasions so that he could larn how voters were voting on the VBM applications, to which Raia said he's entitled to do that.
Based on testimony given yesterday by an FBI agent, 378 of the 398 people paid by either Raia's One Hoboken campaign or the Let the People Make up one's mind super PAC received a vote past post ballot in 2013.
Needless to say, this information wasn't lost on Farrell when Raia was on the stand.
"Is that a coincidence? That was your plan because a depression turnout ensures that the people y'all paid would vote yes on the plebiscite to questions pertaining to rolling back rent control laws?," he asked, opting not to ask any further questions when Raia did not respond.
Furthermore, Farrell argued that Raia had to know which voters were receiving checks because the government provided an showroom which showed that voters had signed declarations before they could receive any money.
Before Raia took the stand, fellow Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal grilled political science professor and Bayonne political operative Jack Butchko about whether he was authorized to sign off on checks to voters given his role to fill up out New Jersey Election Committee Enforcement forms on behalf of the Raia campaign.
The government presented an exhibit that displayed a $33,500 check from a lobbying group, the Mile Square Revenue enhancement Payers Association, and Agarwal asked Butchko if he had visibly seen the check given his role of filling in ELEC forms to comply with election regulations.
"In order for yous to make full in that ELEC form with the bank check number, you had to take seen that cheque?," Agarwal prompted.
To which Butchko replied he probably did, because the information on the checks were provided to him by Raia.
Oddly, Butchko said that Calicchio played no role in the 2013 campaign, simply many subsequent witnesses for the defense, including Raia himself, contradicted that statement.
Raia had several other Hoboken natives testify on his behalf, including Rev. Alexander Santora, former Hoboken Board of Education Banana Superintendent Anthony Petrosino, Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman, and ex-Due north Hudson Sewerage Say-so Counsel Frank Leanza.
The majority of the character witnesses were on the correspond five minutes or less.
The defence rested simply before 3 p.thousand. and Martini said he would give the jury Friday off before closing arguments in the instance commence on Mon morning.
Source: https://hudsoncountyview.com/i-never-bought-vote-in-my-life-hobokens-raia-testifies-at-own-vbm-fraud-trial/
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