Queens judicial candidate filed fraudulent ballot petitions, attys allege

Lawyers for the Queens County Democratic Party are alleging that petitions for a Queens judicial candidate are fraudulent. The Eagle first reported on the potentially fraudulent petitions last week. File photo by Tyrell Hankerson/X

By Ryan Schwach

Lawyers for the Queens County Democratic Party told a judge this week that ballot petition signatures purportedly collected from voters by a canvasser for a Queens judicial candidate – and for several others running for office – were forged.

The petitions at the heart of the case against Queens Civil Court candidate Philip Grant, which got underway in Queens Civil Court on Monday, include a page of signatures the Eagle found to have several forgeries earlier this month.

Attorneys said in court on Monday that they believe nearly all the petition signatures on the sheet were forged, and are seeking to invalidate four pages of signatures approved by a single witness.

Queens City Council candidate Ruben Wills, public advocate candidate Marty Dolan and comptroller candidate Ismael Malave Perez are also named on the petition, but are not named in the lawsuit.

In Queens Supreme Court, Civil Term on Monday, lawyers Frank Bolz and Michael Reich of Sweeney, Reich and Bolz laid out much of their case on behalf of Queens Democratic Party endorsed-judicial candidate Gail Adams, who is currently scheduled to face off against Grant in the Democratic primary in June.

The attorneys are seeking to invalidate four pages worth of signatures, all undersigned by witness Ashanti Sharper, who they accused of committing fraud.

The Eagle attempted to reach Sharper through a number believed to be associated with the South Queens resident earlier this month, but did not receive a response.

Grant’s lawyer in the case, Mark Hanna, has filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that his opposition’s filings were “vague” and not specific enough in their accusations.

However, almost all of the particulars of the case were filed prior to the court appearance on Monday.

Grant, a Brooklyn resident, was an assistant attorney general and private attorney before working as a law clerk in Kings County.

Earlier this month, several voters listed on the sheet, all of whom lived in the South Jamaica Houses, told the Eagle that their signatures had been forged on the ballot petition.

Among the names on the sheet was one of Wills’ primary opponents, Latoya LeGrand, who did not speak with the Eagle. However, her signature at the Board of Elections viewed by the Eagle appeared to be different from what is written on the petition.

“That's fraud,” said Marcia Pearce, a South Jamaica Houses resident who told the Eagle she did not sign the petition sheet.

Pearce is named as a witness in Sweeney, Reich and Bolz’s lawsuit, as is LeGrand.

“If politicians are doing this, when I need help, they don't come to help,” Pearce said. “You want to put my signature on a piece of paper? That's fraud. But when we need help in the projects, you don't come and help us.”

Pearce said that someone came to her building several weeks ago seeking petition signatures, but she claimed she never gave them her signature. The South Queens resident was also listed on the petition sheet as having six roommates. She said none of them lived at her address.

Attorneys will appear in court again next Tuesday afternoon, after the Board of Elections makes their own determinations on the signatures on Monday.

Kicked off the ballot

The case over Grant’s petitions wasn’t the only ballot petition case making its way through the courts on Monday.

However, the three other cases brought in Queens Civil Court were adjourned until next week, after the Board of Elections has time to review petition objections filed with their office.

Queens candidates Supreet McGrath, who is running as a Republican in District 29; Vera Daniels, who is running as a Democrat in District 27; Bernard Chow, who is running as a Republican in District 23; and Allen Wang, who is running as a Republican in District 21, all appeared in court on Monday after their respective opponents filed suits to invalidate some of their petitions.

All cases were scheduled for next Tuesday.

In a separate case, a judicial candidate, Teresita A. Morales, entered a deal and agreed to pull her name from ballot contention prior to the Monday hearings.

Some determinations over who and who won’t appear on the June primary ballot were made this week.

Democratic candidate Michael Lopez, who is running in District 30, and Republican Candidate Joseph Chou, who is running in District 20, did not appear in court despite having cases on the docket, and never responded to the suits against them.

As a result, Lopez and Chou had their candidacies thrown out in court on Tuesday, following a ruling from Queens Supreme Court Judge Tracy Catapano-Fox.

Lopez, a priest in Ridgewood, said he intends to continue the local work he was doing as he considers his next steps.

“My team and I are deciding whether or not we want to go for an independent run,” he told the Eagle on Tuesday. “We haven't really made a decision yet. I want to consult with my family and staff and make sure that everybody's on the same page.”

“I’m having the time of my life, learning about how this whole game works, and I really enjoyed the experience thus far,” he added. “My worth and my life is not really decided by whether or not I become a councilmember.”