Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx politician
and an aide have pleaded guilty for committing voter fraud in a 2014 New York State
Assembly primary race and were sentenced to Conditional Discharge.
District Attorney Clark said, “The electoral process is an important part of any
democracy and any actions attempting to undermine its integrity must and will be
prosecuted by this office.”
District Attorney Clark said Hector Ramirez, 61, who ran in several races for New
York State Assembly, pleaded guilty today, November 22, 2016, before Bronx Supreme
Court Justice Steven Barrett to second-degree Criminal Possession of a Forged
Instrument, a D Felony. Ana Cuevas, 57, pleaded guilty to Disorderly Conduct. Both
defendants were sentenced to a Conditional Discharge and as a condition for his plea,
Ramirez will not be permitted to seek public office for the three-year duration of his
Conditional Discharge.
According to the investigation, during Ramirez’s 2014 run for State Assembly in
the Bronx’s 86th District, Ramirez and members of his campaign went door-to-door and
deceived potential voters into signing absentee ballot applications. The Ramirez team
took the applications to the Board of Elections and retrieved ballots for the voters, and
then voted for Ramirez without the voter’s knowledge.
It was initially believed Ramirez had won the primary election over Assemblyman
Victor Pichardo before a recount was enacted and Pichardo was declared the winner.
