Sullivan County Consultant Admits Rigging Election

By
Robert Lewis
WNYC News | Jun 19, 2018

The final defendant in a voter fraud scheme intended at taking over an upstate village government pleaded guilty Monday.

In 2013, consultant Volvy Smilowitz and a couple developers were trying to build a massive housing development in the Sullivan County village of Bloomingburg. But some locals objected. They alleged the project was an effort to draw ultra-orthodox Jews from crowded city neighborhoods like Williamsburg, changing the character of the village with thousands of new units.

So, Smilowitz and the developers registered false voters and bribed others to elect friendly local officials, according to prosecutors.They even left toothbrushes in empty apartments to fool authorities.

Developers Shalom Lamm and Kenneth Nakdimen already pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison last year. Smilowitz pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process and is schedule to be sentenced in federal court in October.

Profile Image
Robert Lewis

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

WNYC Homepage - Top Stories

'It's chaos': LIRR commuters face shutdown, workarounds on first weekday of strike

The MTA says backup shuttle buses can carry only a fraction of regular LIRR riders.
Gothamist |

The History Wars and America at 250, with the Historian Jill Lepore

Three prominent historians discuss a national milestone arriving in the midst of a politically charged conflict over how Americans see the past. It’s a “goat rodeo,” Lepore says.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

10-Question Quiz: American History

Author Kenneth C. Davis quizzes listeners on American history.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

Democrats make a run for Stefanik's seat

WNYC News |

On an off-Broadway stage, actors bring immigrant stories alive and spark public debate

Immigrants' stories have been unfolding on an off-Broadway stage in an uncommon way. One is of a doctor in her 40s who fled Zimbabwe. Another featured a Colombian woman who regretted leaving her homeland for the United States. A third entered into a marriage of convenience with an American after overstaying her visa, and then suffered a violent assault in the subway.
WNYC News |
YOU ARE ONLINE