City council member faces additional charges in absentee ballot investigation

Bridgeport City Councilor Faces Additional Charges in Absentee Ballot Tampering Case

Alfredo Castillo, a city councilor in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was arrested on Friday on 10 additional counts related to an ongoing investigation into absentee ballot tampering in the state’s largest city. This development comes as part of a larger case involving Democratic politicians and operatives charged with tampering with absentee ballots in the 2023 Democratic primary election. The allegations of ballot misuse led to a court-ordered rerun of a mayoral primary and general election, raising concerns about election security in the United States.

The new charges against Castillo include multiple counts of possession of restricted ballots and envelopes, failure to sign as an assister on an absentee ballot, and misrepresenting eligibility requirements for voting by absentee ballot. Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin’s office confirmed the additional charges.

Following his arrest, Castillo has not yet provided a statement. His lawyer, Frank Riccio, stated that they will carefully review the evidence presented by the State before proceeding with the case.

Surveillance videos from the 2023 primary election showed individuals stuffing multiple absentee ballots into city collection boxes, according to police reports. Additionally, Castillo and other defendants have been accused of unlawfully assisting voters in filling out their ballots and influencing their voting choices.

Notably, Castillo had previously faced charges related to similar absentee ballot crimes during the 2019 election cycle.

Following his arrest, Castillo was released with a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on September 2nd.

These recent developments highlight the ongoing efforts to address election security issues and uphold the integrity of the democratic process in Bridgeport and beyond.