Republican election official in New York charged with brazen ballot fraud plan

The Republican elections board commissioner in upstate Rensselaer County was arrested Tuesday on costs of carrying out a brazen ballot plan that permitted him to solid votes in voters’ names.

Jason Schofield utilized for absentee ballots for voters who did not want to vote, and, in some scenarios, personally pushed voters to indication absentee ballot envelopes, positioning himself or his associates to commit voter fraud in primary and general elections in 2021, according to courtroom papers.

The 12-count indictment charging Schofield stated ballots were being counted from at least four voters who were instructed to indication ballot envelopes but were being not allowed to entire them.

“Schofield was able to vote — or have other men and women vote — in the RVs’ names,” reported the court docket papers, applying an acronym for registered voters.

The 9-website page indictment was submitted very last Thursday in the U.S. District Courtroom for the Northern District of New York.

Schofield, 42, of Troy, N.Y., faces up to 5 decades in jail on each of 12 counts of unlawful possession and use of a means of identification, according to the U.S. attorney’s business in Albany.

“He maintains his innocence,” Danielle Neroni, his attorney, mentioned by cellular phone Tuesday afternoon.The Albany Periods Union reported that Schofield was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday early morning outdoors his home, and entered a not responsible plea at court docket in the afternoon.