A Queens man has been arraigned on a 140-count indictment, accused of orchestrating an extensive voter fraud scheme during the 2022 Democratic primary election, the county’s district attorney announced.
A press release by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz on Tuesday reveals that Abdul Rahman, 32, stands accused of allegedly submitting 20 fraudulent absentee ballot applications in August 2022, during the Democratic primary.
The charges against Mr. Rahman include 20 counts each of falsifying business records in the first degree, falsifying business records in the second degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree, and illegal voting.
“Every vote has to count,” declared Ms. Katz in a statement, emphasizing the importance of election integrity as “the foundation of a viable, working democracy.”
“We will vigorously prosecute anyone who threatens in any way to undermine that integrity,” she added. “To investigate and prosecute anyone for voter fraud takes time and resources I am willing to commit.”
New York Supreme Court Justice Toni Cimino has ordered Mr. Rahman, a resident of Floral Park, Queens, to return to court on Jan. 30, 2024, to face the litany of charges, according to the district attorney’s press release.
Uncovering Alleged Election Fraud
The case came to light when Jordan Sandke attempted to vote in person during the Democratic primary at Richmond Hill on Aug. 23, 2022, only to discover that an absentee ballot had already been requested in his name, preventing him from casting his ballot for his preferred candidate, according to the press release.
An investigation revealed that Mr. Rahman had submitted the application on behalf of Mr. Sandke, listing his name, address, and date of birth, on Aug. 1, 2022, without his knowledge or authorization.
The district attorney’s office did not disclose the candidates for whom the ballots were cast.
“The application listed the defendant, Rahman, as an authorized representative to pick up the ballot. Sandke, however, had not filled out, signed, or submitted the application, and said he had never met the defendant or authorized him to pick up an absentee ballot on his behalf,” the Queens County District Attorney’s office stated.
The charges detail a sophisticated operation where, in addition to allegedly falsifying Mr. Sandke’s ballot, Mr. Rahman allegedly submitted 118 absentee ballot applications on Aug. 8, 2022, designating himself as the authorized representative to pick up the ballots. Of these, 32 were approved, and Mr. Rahman allegedly collected the ballots the next day.
Law enforcement officials interviewed multiple individuals listed in the ballot applications, finding that none of them had submitted the forms or authorized Mr. Rahman to collect ballots on their behalf.
Mr. Rahman surrendered to the Queen’s District Attorney’s Office following the indictment.
Board of Elections Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio said his organization was proud to have uncovered the alleged election fraud in the state and referred it to law enforcement.
“Our government partners in the Queens District Attorney’s Office did an amazing job at investigating this case and bringing it to indictment,” Mr. Ignizio said. “Protecting our democracy and the elections process is the responsibility of all Americans—and the Board is grateful to District Attorney Melinda Katz and her staff for all of their efforts in this investigation.”
Assistant District Attorney Gabriella Giunta, from the District Attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Khadijah Muhammad-Starling and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Gerard Brave.
If convicted, Mr. Rahman could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.
From The Epoch Times
