One of the three council members who surrendered to state police last week in connection with absentee ballot fraud allegations in the 2023 Bridgeport, Connecticut, mayoral primary election said he was innocent and that he was “following the orders of the Democratic Party.”
Councilman Alfredo Castillo, 53, who represents the state’s 136th district, was arrested on Feb. 21 and charged with multiple counts of misrepresenting absentee ballot eligibility requirements and improper possession of ballots and envelopes.
“I’m innocent,” Castillo told The Epoch Times on Feb. 23. “I’m following the orders of the Democratic Party. This is what they tell us to do ... to get out the vote. Then we get criminalized.”
Democratic Party Vice Chair Wanda Geter-Pataky, 68, along with councilwomen Maria Pereira, 57, and Jazmarie Melendez, who both represent the 138th district, were also arrested after turning themselves in on Feb. 21. They did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
“Wanda’s job as the vice-chair of the Democratic Party is to get out the vote,” Castillo said in a phone interview. “That’s her job. She should get an award for getting the little votes that we get out there to make a difference.”
In addition to multiple counts of misrepresenting absentee ballot eligibility requirements and improper possession of ballots and envelopes, Pereira was charged with forgery in the second degree and disorderly conduct while Melendez and campaign worker Margaret Joyce, 45, were additionally charged with multiple counts of misrepresenting eligibility requirements for voting by absentee ballot.
Castillo said the party asked for help and that his fellow Democrat members of the council were doing what they could.
“The Democratic Party call us for help with this or that,” he said. “Jim Himes, Richard Blumenthal, and Chris Murphy ... everybody benefits from Bridgeport. We are the biggest city in the state, and they need us to win, but nobody comes and helps the people.”
Himes is a sitting member of the House representing Connecticut’s Fourth District, while Blumenthal and Murphy are Connecticut’s two senators.
Himes, Blumenthal, and Murphy didn’t respond to requests for comment by publication time.
Castillo has no plans to step down from his elected position.
“I’m going to stay,” he said. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
The charges stem from a mayoral primary election held on Sept. 12, 2023, in which incumbent Mayor Joseph P. Ganim emerged as the victor against his challenger, John Gomes.
Gomes filed a civil lawsuit in state court in Bridgeport alleging absentee ballot fraud. The state superior court overturned the September 2023 results. The complaint was subsequently forwarded to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, which referred the case to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney for further investigation by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau.
Joshua Foley, the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s senior attorney and information policy coordinator, declined to comment.
Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin did not respond to requests for comment.
The arrests are unlikely to alter the 2023 mayoral election results, according to Linda Szynkowicz, founder and CEO of Connecticut-based national nonprofit Fight Voter Fraud.
“Once an election has been called, it is near impossible to do anything,” Szynkowicz told The Epoch Times.
All five defendants were released and are expected to return to court on March 6, 2025, according to a statement issued by Griffin.
“While we are disappointed that it took the state well over a year to do something about the outrages that occurred in Bridgeport, we are pleased that prosecutors finally acted,” Attorney Cameron L. Atkinson told The Epoch Times in an email.
Democratic party officials did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
