Alla Pometko, Subpoenaed Storobin Staffer, Denies Voter Fraud
It has been a while since we wrote about the ongoing election boondoggle surrounding the race to replace Carl Kruger. That’s primarily because new developments have pretty much teetered off, as both the campaigns – Republican David Storobin and Democrat Lew Fider – are duking it out in court, with only a three vote difference between them.
Our last update detailed allegations coming from the Fidler campaign that Storobin’s team committed voter fraud when a paid Storobin consultant intentionally gathered 119 absentee ballots for Russian voters who were capable of reaching the polls.
After failing to appear in court on April 26, the consultant – Alla Pometko – was subpoenaed by the judge to appear or face contempt of court. On Tuesday, she finally faced the judge.
“I did nothing wrong,” Pometko told City & State. “I’m here to fight for my name.”
The site reported:
Pometko, who spoke through an interpreter on the stand, was briefly questioned by ex-State Sen. Marty Connor, an election lawyer who is serving as an attorney for Fidler. But after a couple minutes, before Connor made much headway, court was adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Pometko, who showed up in court only after being subpoenaed, did not come alone: She was accompanied by an attorney, Arthur Gershfeld, there to tend to Pometko’s own legal situation.
In New York, voters can only cast absentee ballots if they are physically unable to get to the polls. However, at least 16 of those “permanently disabled” voters cast a vote in person on election day.
The Fidler camp also says every one of the absentee ballots appeared to be written in the same handwriting, and the voter signed the envelope with a mark instead of a signature – with Pometko again named as the witness to the mark.
Pometko, herself not a registered voter, was paid at least $1,470 for her work as a consultant to the Storobin campaign, financial disclosure reports indicate.
