Another Democrat has recently been charged in a voter fraud scheme involving mail-in ballots, further validating what are often referred to as “conspiracy theories.” This week, a man from Queens was indicted for allegedly submitting 20 fraudulent absentee ballot applications in New York. The charges were announced by the Queens County district attorney’s office and are connected to the 2022 Democrat primary.
“Every vote has to count,” Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz, a Democrat, said in a press release.
“Election integrity is the foundation of a viable, working democracy.
“We will vigorously prosecute anyone who threatens in any way to undermine that integrity.
“To investigate and prosecute anyone for voter fraud takes time and resources I am willing to commit.”
Abdul Rahman, a 32-year-old resident of Queen’s Floral Park neighborhood, has been identified as the suspect in a case involving 140 charges against him. If found guilty, Rahman could potentially face up to seven years in prison. According to local outlet The Gothamist, Rahman is known as a political operative who is actively involved in Democrat and South Asian circles. The district attorney’s press release revealed that Rahman is accused of illegally casting 20 ballots in the August 2022 elections.
He had applied to collect 118 ballots on behalf of voters in the area and received approval for 32 of those applications. The district attorney’s office did not disclose which candidates received support from the ballots Rahman allegedly cast. One individual, Jordan Sandke, shared his experience of visiting the polling station on August 23, 2022, for the Democrat primary election.
However, he was informed that he could not vote as he had already requested an absentee ballot. Investigators were able to locate Sandke’s ballot application, which included his personal information and signature, dated August 1, 2022. Additionally, the DA’s office discovered that Rahman was listed as the authorized individual to collect Sandke’s ballot.
“Sandke, however, had not filled out, signed or submitted the application, and said he had never met the defendant or authorized him to pick up an absentee ballot on his behalf,” the press release stated.
The DA’s office reported that subsequent to the incident, law enforcement officers conducted interviews with voters whose names and information were recorded on the alternative ballot applications and leaned: “none of them had themselves submitted the form, much less authorized Rahman to pick a ballot up for them.”
“The Board of Elections in the City of New York is proud to once again have identified and referred an election integrity issue to law enforcement,” Board of Elections Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio said in the press release.
“Our government partners in the Queens District Attorney’s Office did an amazing job at investigating this case and bringing it to indictment.
“Protecting our democracy and the elections process is the responsibility of all Americans – and the Board is grateful to District Attorney Melinda Katz and her staff for all of their efforts in this investigation.”
Rahman is currently confronted with a total of 20 charges for falsifying business records in the first degree, 20 charges for criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree, 20 charges for falsifying business records in the second degree, 20 charges for offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree, 20 charges for illegal voting, and 20 charges for offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.
If Rahman is found guilty, he could potentially face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Despite the charges against him, Rahman pleaded not guilty. The court has scheduled his next appearance for January 30, 2024.
“I thank my Public Corruption Bureau and the Board of Elections and for their important work on this case,” the Queens DA added.
“The integrity of elections will be upheld in this borough.”