Perth Amboy Campaign Workers Offered $20 In Exchange For Votes: Police

PERTH AMBOY, NJ — Three Perth Amboy campaign workers have now been indicted on criminal allegations that they tried to bribe residents for votes in the Perth Amboy City Council election last fall.

Their voter fraud took place with mail-in ballots, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, who announced their indictment Thursday.

The three women are Ana Camilo, 62, Annet Sanchez, 52, and Maria Peralta, 60, all of Perth Amboy. The three women were campaign workers for a Perth Amboy city council candidate, but police have not disclosed that candidate's name, according to the Associated Press.

In October of 2022, the women walked through neighborhoods, offering residents $20 ShopRite gift cards in exchange for mail-in ballots selected for that candidate, said the Middlesex County Prosecutor.

Prosecutors say Camillo specifically tried to bribe an undercover detective, who was posing as a Perth Amboy voter. That detective had been tipped off the women were allegedly doing this, and was investigating.

All three women were indicted March 30 on criminal charges of bribery, witness tampering and election law violations.

Sanchez and Peralta were also indicted on a charge of retaliation against a witness. Police say they started harassing a witness who reported what they were doing to law enforcement.