A New York Republican board of elections commissioner was arrested this Tuesday by the FBI while on his way to work, the Times Union reports.
Rensselaer County Board of Elections commissioner Jason T. Schofield was under investigation for his use of an online portal to obtain absentee ballots -- an investigation that led to the guilty plea earlier this year of a Troy councilwoman. The charges against Schofield remain sealed pending his first court appearance.
Schofield's action became known during the federal criminal case involving former Troy Councilwoman Kimberly Ashe-McPherson, who pleaded guilty in June to a felony charge after admitting she fraudulently submitted absentee ballots in last year's primary and general elections.
As the Times Union points out, Ashe-McPherson's plea agreement identified Schofield as the unidentified board of elections official listed as "Individual-3" and states that Schofield had allegedly helped Ashe-McPherson obtain an absentee ballot through an online portal using the name and date of birth of a voter without "lawful authority."
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"That absentee ballot, which was mailed to Ashe-McPherson's residence, was submitted in the Working Families Party primary election that she won a year ago prior to being re-elected to the City Council in the general election," reports the Times Union. "The grand jury subpoena recently served on the county sought copies of records related to more than a half-dozen absentee ballot applications, including several that had been obtained through the state's online portal by Schofield."
Read the full report over at the Times Union.