Ex-Hoboken Candidate ‘Pupie’ Raia Sentenced For Voter Bribery

HOBOKEN, NJ — Erstwhile Hoboken political candidate Frank “Pupie” Raia was sentenced to three months in prison on Monday for his role in a local voter bribery scheme in 2013.

Raia, a real estate developer, faced a potential five years in jail and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors previously said.

He will serve one year of supervised release, and will also pay a $50,000 fine, reports say.

Raia was convicted of conspiring to promote a voter bribery scheme by use of the mail in June.

Prosecutors said the bribery took place during the 2013 Hoboken municipal election. Raia ran as a candidate for City Council that year.

"The defendant in this case tried to rig a Hoboken municipal election by voting multiple times, both for himself and for a ballot question that he supported," federal prosecutors previously said. "He did so by deploying his loyal foot soldiers to buy votes from people who he thought were in need of money, and then creating a phony cover story to conceal his tracks. Fortunately, neither federal law enforcement nor the jury was fooled."

• See related article: Ex-Hoboken Candidate 'Pupie' Raia Convicted Of Voter Bribery

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