An upcoming trial over accusations of absentee ballot fraud, and witness tampering during the 2019 Bridgeport mayoral primary, may last until next year due to ongoing requests for evidence and active investigations over similar accusations from last year’s mayoral primary.
That’s according to attorney Ken Krayeske, who represents Nilsa Herredia, one of the defendants.
“Other defendants were involved in 2023 and so the state is continuing to investigate 2023 and that's one of the reasons I don't perceive that we're going to have a resolution on this until 2025,” Krayeske said.
The 2019 mayoral primary, which incumbent Mayor Joe Ganim won, was also tarnished by accusations that his campaign mishandled absentee ballots.
A local voter outreach organization, Bridgeport Generation Now Votes, filed a lawsuit over the results in 2019. Part of the testimony from that lawsuit referenced evidence Krayeske now says could help his client.
All four of the defendants appeared in court on Thursday: Bridgeport city councilman Alfredo Castillo, city employee Wanda Geter-Pataky, who is also Vice Chair of the city’s Democratic party, and former campaign workers Josephine Edmond and Nilsa Herredia.
Their attorneys quickly asked for additional time to gather evidence, such as absentee ballot reports that are referenced in the transcript.
“I know they are related to the case,” Krayeske said.
Krayeske said the transcript is from assistant town clerk Christina Resto during testimony involving the Bridgeport Generation Now Votes lawsuit in 2019.
In the testimony, evidence was referenced, so Krayeske is looking for that information, which he says may include other related records.
The current criminal case is separate from an ongoing investigation over the 2023 Democratic mayoral primary.
That, he said, could also delay the outcome since several defendants, except Herredia, are also accused of absentee ballot fraud in that election.
The four defendants are due back in court on Oct. 17.
