NJ Campaign Workers Offered Gift Cards To Voters, Indicted For …

Three campaign workers for a Perth Amboy City Council candidate have been indicted for bribery, witness tampering and election law violations after offering gift cards to voters, authorities said. A detective reportedly posed as a voter to make the arrest, they said. A Middlesex County grand jury returned a seven-count indictment charging campaign workers Ana Camilo, 62, Annet Sanchez, 52, and Maria Peralta, 60, all of Perth Amboy, with various offenses stemming from their involvement in efforts to offer gift cards to voters in return for completed mail-in ballots that contained votes for their chosen candidate, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

The three were campaigning for City Council candidate Jeannette Rios who was not accused of any wrongdoing. The indictments followed a presentation of evidence by Assistant Prosecutor Russell Curley on Thursday, March 30. Camillo was indicted on two counts of third-degree bribery, unlawful possession of a ballot, attempting to cast an illegal ballot and election law violation for her role in meeting and attempting to bribe an undercover detective, who was posing as a Perth Amboy voter, Ciccone said.

Sanchez and Peralta were indicted on one count of retaliation against a witness for their roles in engaging in harassing conduct toward a witness who provided information concerning Camilo’s involvement in the voter fraud, Ciccone said.

New Jersey election law prohibits the offering of any inducements for voting for a particular candidate.

Visit the Middlesex County Clerk’s website for any questions about mail-in ballots at www.middlesexcountynj.gov.

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