No, This Ex-Con Can't Run for Edison School Board, State Says

Edison, NJ - No, the man who is a convicted felon and seeking a spot on the Edison School Board is not allowed to serve, even if he wins, the state Department of Education said this week.

As Patch reported, Edison resident Nilesh Dasondi is one of five people running for a spot on the Board of Education. But even if he wins, he will not be allowed to serve, the state DOE said. That's because in 2009 Dasondi pleaded guilty to taking cash from illegal immigrants in exchange for forging fake working papers for them.

Federal investigators found that Dasondi filled out H1B visas and green cards for illegal immigrants, falsely claiming they worked for an IT company he owned, based in Edison. Dasondi would receive hundreds of thousands of dollars from the immigrants in return for the bogus H1B visas, in total collecting $850,000 from eight immigrants here illegally.

After he confessed, he served six months in federal prison. According to the state, anyone convicted of a first or second-degree felony would be disqualified from serving on a school board. However, criminal background checks are not conducted until 30 days after the school board race, NJ.com reported, meaning Dasondi could only be disqualified after he won. The state only started running criminal background checks on School Board members five years ago.

Dasondi has previously called New Jersey's school board rules "gray," and said he would challenge in court if anyone says he is unqualified for the spot.

Before he pleaded guilty, Dasondi held a position on the Edison Township Zoning Board. He also ran, unsuccessfully, for township council.

Stock image of an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement making an arrest.