Hoboken Man Guilty In Voter Bribery Scheme, Faces 5 Years In Jail

HOBOKEN, NJ — A Hoboken man has admitted his role in a conspiracy to promote a voter bribery scheme during a municipal election in Hoboken, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

William Rojas, 69, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiring with others to use the mail to promote a voter bribery scheme during the 2015 municipal election in Hoboken, prosecutors said.

Here’s how the scheme operated, prosecutors said:

“Under New Jersey law, registered voters are permitted to cast a ballot by mail rather than in person. To receive a mail-in ballot, voters must complete and submit to their county clerk’s office an Application for Vote By Mail Ballot (VBM Application). After the VBM Application is processed, voters receive a mail-in ballot.”

Prosecutors continued:

“From September 2015 through November 2015, Rojas worked for a candidate for the Hoboken City Council (Candidate 1). At Candidate 1’s direction, Rojas and a conspirator, Matthew Calicchio, agreed to pay certain Hoboken voters $50 each if those voters applied for and cast mail-in ballots for the November 2015 Hoboken municipal election. Rojas provided these voters with VBM applications and told them they would get paid $50 for casting mail-in ballots. After receiving the completed mail-in ballots from voters, Rojas and Calicchio reviewed them to ensure that voters had voted for Candidate 1. After the election, Rojas delivered $50 checks to the voters whose mail-in ballots he collected. Calicchio previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 7, 2019.”

Rojas faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2020, prosecutors said.

Another Hoboken politico, former city council candidate Francis "Pupie" Raia, was recently convicted for conspiring to promote a voter bribery scheme during the 2013 election.

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

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