Bridgeport city councilor charged with election crimes

A member of the Bridgeport City Council is facing federal election crime charges after he allegedly falsified voter registration applications and forged signatures on absentee ballots to vote him onto the council in 2017 and 2018.

Michael Defilippo, 35, is facing one count of conspiracy against rights, four counts of identity theft and 11 counts of fraudulent registration.

An indictment said that Defilippo, who owns multiple properties that he rents to Sacred Heart University students, reportedly “conspired to interfere with and obstruct Bridgeport citizens’ right to vote by falsifying his tenants’ voter registration applications and absentee ballots applications, then stealing tenants’ absentee ballots and forging their signatures in order to fraudulently vote for Defilippo,” a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Defilippo, a Democrat, entered a not guilty plea to the charges Wednesday, and is free on a $250,000 bond. If found guilty, Defilippo could face up to 10 years in prison for the conspiracy offense, alongside five years per count of identity theft and fraudulent registration.

“The right to vote and have one’s vote counted in a fair and impartial election is the foundation of our democracy,” Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle said. “It is alleged that this defendant violated that right to help himself win election to the Bridgeport City Council, including by stealing ballots and forging signatures. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our FBI partners will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws to safeguard our elections.”

Bridgeport’s city council elections are typically held on odd-numbered years, but absentee ballot irregularities caused the Democratic primary, for the 133rd District, to rerun twice before the general election occurred in June 2018.