Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi accused main opponent Johnathan Rinaldi of committing fraud and forgery in an unlawful effort to steal his seat.
Picture courtesy of NYS Meeting
Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi is accusing Jonathan Rinaldi, his challenger in June’s Democratic main, of electoral chicanery after studying that somebody modified his get together affiliation within the midst of his re-election marketing campaign.
Hevesi filed a prison criticism with the Queens District Lawyer’s workplace in opposition to Rinaldi on Tuesday, April 6, for what seems to be acts of fraud and forgery in an unlawful effort to steal an election and Hevesi’s Meeting seat for himself, expenses that Rinaldi vehemently denies.
“My opponent has a well-documented history of dishonesty in his various unsuccessful campaigns for public office,” Hevesi stated in an announcement. “He is a lifelong Republican, who has consistently run as a Republican, and lost as a Republican. But this year, Mr. Rinaldi changed his party designation to Democrat to challenge me in the primary, which is inherently against his well-documented anti-Democratic views. As a result of that move, he is literally the only person in New York who had the motive, not to mention the means and opportunity, to commit this criminal act.”
Hevesi swore out the prison criticism per week after studying that paperwork had been filed by mail to alter his registration from the Democratic Get together to the Working Households Get together, making him ineligible to run for the Democratic main in June. Hevesi knew the paperwork had not been filed by him.
“As alleged, Mr. Rinaldi is now suspected of attempting to defraud voters in the 28th Assembly District by committing forgery and falsely filing paperwork to register as a Working Families Party voter,” Hevesi stated. “This change would have made me ineligible to run on the Democratic line had the Working Families Party not discovered the fraud, allowing me to take steps to correct it.”
Rinaldi says he has been falsely accused.
Rinaldi vehemently denies Hevesi’s claims and blames vulnerabilities within the election system that permit voter registration to be modified by mail.Courtesy of Rinaldi
A spokesperson from the Queens District Lawyer’s workplace stated, “We do not disclose the existence or non-existence of an investigation.”
Hevesi attacked Rinaldi’s fame for soiled tips in earlier campaigns.
“Mr. Rinaldi has built his political reputation on lies, deceptions, and unquestionably unethical behavior. Knowing he could never win based on any merit, throughout his past campaigns, he has repeatedly lied to the voters, gotten caught, and been defeated at the ballot box,” Hevesi stated. “But now he has apparently crossed the line from George Santos-style fabulism into criminal fraud and forgery, and it is time for him to be held accountable.”
Rinaldi ran in opposition to Hevesi two years in the past as a Republican and defined why he switched to the Democratic get together to problem him within the main.
“For me, this was never about part labels, it’s about whether you stand with the political establishment or with the people you’re supposed to represent,” Rinaldi stated. “The establishment wants to frame everything in terms of party because that’s how they maintain control, but voters aren’t living their best lives based on party lines. They’re focused on real issues like cost of living, safety, and whether anyone is actually listening to them.”
He added that too usually, these considerations come second to get together pursuits and insiders.
“I made this decision because I want to be in a position where I can represent the people in this district honestly and directly, without being boxed in by a system that prioritizes the establishment over the public,” Rinaldi stated. “I’m not here to represent a party machine, I’m here to represent the voters.”
Hevesi is a lifelong resident of the district he has represented since 2005 which incorporates constituents in Forest Hills, Rego Park, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Center Village, Glendale and Kew Gardens.
“I am, and always have been a Democrat, and would never change parties,” Hevesi stated. “I have already taken steps to restore my actual enrollment, and I look forward to running for re-election as a Democrat with the support of the Working Families Party and appearing on both the Democratic and Working Families Party lines. Mr. Rinaldi, on the other hand, has a lifelong record of blatant dishonesty, and is now facing an investigation for being a criminal perpetrator of fraud.”
Hevesi thanked the Working Households Get together for his or her diligence in discovering the fraud, Chairman Gregory Meeks and the Queens County Democratic Get together for his or her swift actions to assist resolve it, and Queens District Lawyer Melinda Katz and her workplace for his or her professionalism earlier than taking a ultimate shot at Rinaldi.
“If convicted, as I believe he will be, he must pay the price for his actions, and I plan to ask the courts to permanently ban him from running for office and abusing our political system further,” Hevesi concluded. “I look forward to the results of the investigation.”
