(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) New York’s Peekskill Common Council member and Housing Authority Board member 44-year-old Rob Scott has been charged with forging signatures on his election petition to secure a spot on the ballot for the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
Scott failed at his attempt to challenge incumbent County Legislator Colin Smith for the Democratic nomination in last year’s primary when the County Board of Elections invalidated a significant portion of his petition signatures, Peekskill Herald reported.
It was revealed that of the 531 signatures Scott submitted, 217 turned out to be fraudulent, leaving him well below the required threshold to qualify for the ballot, the news source added.
“This morning, the City of Peekskill learned Councilman Rob Scott was charged by the Westchester County District Attorney with filing false documents. The City understands that this is a serious charge, and that information is currently developing. The City will address and comment once more information becomes available,” the press release said.
Scott submitted petitions with forged signatures knowingly, including the signatures of those people who later confirmed they had never signed any document for Scott, according to the allegations.
All of that information was discovered after the DA’s office initiated an investigation after it received complaints from citizens about the forged signatures. As a result, it has escalated from a political embarrassment to a criminal case. Scott is currently facing felony charges for filing false documents.
County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that Scott had been arrested and charged with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, according to Iohud. Penalties for this Class E felony could lead to four years in jail.
Scott’s arraignment is scheduled for Apr. 30, 2024, the news source added.
Scott said he was shocked to learn that people had emerged to state they had not signed the petitions, even though he claimed he saw them doing exactly that.
