DA candidates discuss recent voter fraud arrest
TROY, N.Y. » The Democratic candidate for Rensselaer County District Attorney said she is glad to see that an arrest was made related to three forged signatures on petitions for her.
An investigation by the Troy Police Department Detective Bureau resulted in the arrest of Anthony J. Isopo , 46 of 310 Roosevelt Ave. Troy, N.Y.
The investigation surrounded forged signa- tures on petitions that were filed with the Rensselaer County Board of Elections, police said. Isopo was charged with three counts of seconddegree falsifying business records and five counts of second- degree possession of a forged instrument.
Isopo was arraigned in City Court last week and was released.
Mary Pat Donnelly, the Democratic candidate for district attorney, said that she hired her own private investigator after becoming aware of the forged signatures last month and she then filed a police report with the city police department.
“I am relieved to learn that Troy Police have made an arrest,” said Donnelly on Friday morning. “There are, however, many unanswered questions and I remain concerned that this act was done with the specific intent to sabotage my campaign. “
Donnelly will challenge current District Attorney Joel Abelove, a Republican, in the election next month.
“I am hopeful that the process going forward will bring to light additional details,” said Donnelly. “As I stated when I first learned about this incident, I don’t know and have never met this man. He is not a member of my campaign. Why he decided to fabricate these three signatures remains to be seen.”
Abelove said that he “thinks it’s very unfortunate”, and that his office has requested a special prosecutor to handle the case against Isopo.
“I’m proud that my pe- titions and all the signatures are legal, there’s no fraud in our petitions and that’s something pay close attention to before they’re filed with the board of elections,” said Abelove, who is seeking a second term. “This was done by operatives of the party that is backing [Donnelly], so I don’t know how her own people would be trying to sabotage her campaign, but obviously it didn’t come from [the Republican] party, it was done by a Democrat committeeman.”