GOP Crime Blotter
Picking up the pace, 'conservatives!' Noice! Jails aren't' going to fill themselves!
Three Rensselaer County officials with close ties to the ruling Republican Party have been indicted on federal charges as part of an investigation into ballot fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Richard Crist, James Gordon, and Leslie Wallace were arrested and charged Thursday with conspiring to violate the rights of county voters during the 2021 election cycle.
The arrests are only the latest in an ongoing federal probe of GOP officials in the county.
In January, former Rensselaer County elections commissioner Jason Schofield pleaded guilty to unlawfully using the names and dates of birth of voters to fraudulently apply for absentee ballots. He had resigned at the end of December.
Last June, Republican Troy City Councilor Kim Ashe-McPherson resigned after pleading guilty to fraudulently submitting absentee ballots in 2021.
Crist is Director of Operations for Rensselaer County, Gordon is the Director of the Bureau of Central Services for Rensselaer County, and Wallace works for Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin. Gordon is also charged with one count of witness tampering, while Wallace is also accused of making false statements.