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Roselle Council President Jamel Holley was charged Thursday with illegally filling out a portion of the absentee ballots of voters in the 2006 Democratic primary for borough council.
State Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni said Holley, 29, was charged with violating the state's absentee voting law. Holley waived his right to be indicted by a grand jury and has agreed to be charged by accusation. The accusation was entered before state Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier in Trenton.
The accusation charges that Holley tampered with absentee ballots by completing portions of the ballots of at least 20 voters, contrary to the absentee voting law, which seeks to ensure the secrecy of balloting and prevent any improper influencing of voters. The charge is the result of an investigation by the State Police Official Corruption Bureau.
Holley campaigned for candidate Rosemarie Bullock. His support included registering voters and encouraging them to vote by absentee ballot. The investigation revealed that Holley contacted prospective voters to see if they had received their absentee ballots. If they had, Holley went to their homes and allegedly illegally assisted them in completing the ballots.An absentee ballot includes the ballot itself, on which votes are recorded, an inner envelope, and an outer envelope addressed to the county election office. The inner envelope has a certification that must be signed by the voter and requires the voter to fill in personal information and verify that the ballot was filled out secretly. Holley allegedly filled out the inner envelopes of a number of ballots, which is prohibited by law. A number of these ballots were later thrown out by a state appeals court.
Deputy Attorney General Erik Daab is handling the prosecution. The investigation was led by Det. Sgt. John R. Pizzuro of the Official Corruption Bureau.
Third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine. If convicted, Holley would be required to forfeit his position as a councilman.
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
