Alleged election fraud being investigated in three New Jersey coastal towns: Attorney General

FREEHOLD – According to law enforcement officials, prosecutors are currently conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of voter fraud in Monmouth County.

“The District Attorney’s Office can confirm the existence of an active investigation into allegations that certain individuals may have improperly registered to vote and/or voted in a previous election in Monmouth County,” said Mark Spivey, a spokesman for District Attorney Raymond S. Santiago.

The New Jersey Globe, which first reported the allegations, said state and federal law enforcement agencies were investigating last week’s nonpartisan local elections in Allenhurst, Deal and Loch Arbor. The article said election officials were concerned about a surge in voter registration after the number of eligible voters increased by nearly 75% in about a year.

“Although we cannot discuss specific details of the investigation at this time, we can say that we take all allegations of interference with free and fair elections extremely seriously, as ensuring their integrity is a fundamental responsibility for any functioning democracy,” said Spivey said in an emailed response to questions, which was the same statement prosecutors provided to the Globe.

In Allenhurst, the dispute over the redevelopment of the former Jersey Central Power & Light properties on Main Street in the city center has been simmering for years.

The prospective developer, Power Station LLC, and the municipality had agreed to a court settlement that would allow for 113 residential units consisting of townhomes and condominiums or apartments. The developer originally wanted to build 245 units on the site.

Of the planned development, 23 residential units are to be affordable housing, which would mean that the district would not yet meet its obligation to provide affordable housing.

The Allenhurst Taxpayers Association, made up of local property owners, has filed several lawsuits against the county and Power Station LLC, the most recent of which seeks to overturn the settlement. This wealthy enclave on the New Jersey coast, which had a population of 472 at the 2020 census and a median household income of $95,625 in 2022, is about 0.25 square miles in size.

In the nonpartisan municipal election on May 14, Frieda O. Adjmi, Joseph R. Dwek and Theresa Manziano-Santoro were elected to the three-member Allenhurst Board of Commissioners.

The trio caused a major political upset by ousting two of Allenhurst’s three commissioners – Richard Cumisky and David J. McLaughlin – in what has become a controversial election. A third incumbent, Christopher McLaughlin, did not seek re-election.

In last week’s race, Adjmi received 230 votes, Dwek 241 votes and Manziano-Santoro 251 votes.

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Meanwhile, incumbent county commissioners McLaughlin and Cumisky received 109 and 104 votes, respectively. A third vice president, Mark Horowitz, received 99 votes.

Although the newcomers are not members of the taxpayers’ association, they do belong to the Loch Arbor and Allenhurst Homeowner’s Association. In one of their campaign videos shown to the Asbury Park Press, they said they opposed housing and could offer a better vision for the future of this wealthy enclave on the New Jersey coast.

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However, they have not commented on this story.

In neighboring Loch Arbor, longtime mayor Paul V. Fernicola was not re-elected to the village board. Another wealthy but tiny coastal community, Loch Arbor is 0.09 square miles and had a population of 224 in 2020 and a median household income of $122,500 in 2022, according to census data.

However, Fernicola dropped out of the race last month. In an April 30 letter to voters, the mayor explained that he was retiring from public life “due to the ongoing harassment I and my family have faced over the past several months,” and asked voters to name a candidate of their choice to replace him. He did not elaborate on the nature of the harassment, but wrote, “Recent events have made it clear that remaining on the Loch Arbor Board of Commissioners would not be in the best interest of myself and my family. With that in mind, I have made the decision to resign from public office in the Village of Loch Arbor.”

However, he did not drop out of the ballot in time and still received 66 votes. Fernicola declined to comment further to the press.

The other two incumbent commissioners, Alfred Cheswick and Denis D’Angelo, did not seek re-election.

Candidates Jacob “Jack” Hedaya and Jason Elo each received 105 votes. However, one or more candidates who could not be included on the list received 222 votes.

A spokeswoman for the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for a list of candidates who cannot be written into the Loch Arbour ballot.

Only in Deal did the status quo remain in place after the election. This county, with a land area of 1.18 square miles, had a population of 900 in 2020 and the median household income was $73,380 in 2022, according to census data.

The incumbents on the three-member Board of Commissioners – Sam Cohen, David Simhon and Jack Kassin – withstood challenges from Isaac Chehebar, Samuel Ashkenazie and Albert Dwek.

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