Paterson Council President Indicted Again in Expanding Voter Fraud Case

Superseding indictment accuses Council President Mendez, his wife, and campaign aides of stealing and falsifying ballots in the 2020 vote-by-mail election.

PATERSON, NJ — Paterson City Council President Alex Mendez, his wife, and three others have been named in a superseding indictment that expands upon earlier election fraud allegations tied to the May 2020 municipal election, according to an announcement by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).

The 10-count indictment alleges that Mendez, his wife Yohanny Mendez, and campaign workers Omar Ledesma and Iris Rigo engaged in a coordinated effort to steal ballots, forge voter information, and manipulate vote-by-mail submissions in order to secure Mendez’s Third Ward council seat. The group now faces new and enhanced charges following further investigation into the original 2021 indictment and subsequent complaints filed in October 2023.

“As alleged, this case is not simply about a city council seat. The people’s right to vote and to have their voices heard was subverted by what we allege to be an unlawful conspiracy,” said Attorney General Platkin. “This was unfair to the voters of Paterson. It was, as the grand jury charged, fraud and theft.”

“The tenacious, hard work of the investigators and prosecutors on this case uncovered new information about the lengths the defendants allegedly went to in an attempt to rig Paterson’s municipal election and cover up their conduct,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA.

The alleged scheme came to light after hundreds of mail-in ballots were discovered improperly stored in a postal box in Haledon, a nearby town, during a period when New Jersey elections were conducted entirely by mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the new charges are:

• Theft (third degree), for allegedly stealing ballots to interfere with lawful voting.

• Receiving Stolen Property (third degree), for knowingly accepting stolen ballots.

• Witness Tampering (third degree), for allegedly attempting to influence previous witnesses to make false statements.

• Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution (third degree), filed against Ninoska Adames, who is also accused of Tampering with Public Records.

Charges already in place include Election Fraud (second degree), Tampering with Public Records (third degree), Forgery (third degree), and Falsifying Records (fourth degree).

If convicted, second-degree offenses could result in five to ten years in prison and fines up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry potential penalties of three to five years imprisonment and $15,000 fines, while fourth-degree offenses may lead to up to 18 months in prison and $10,000 in fines.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Diana Bibb and Lisa Cialino under the supervision of senior OPIA officials. The investigation remains ongoing.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.