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Last Thursday, Frank “Pupie” Raia took to the witness stand to rebut the testimony of former friends and allies alleging he masterminded a massive voter bribery scheme in Hoboken during the 2013 election.
It may not have turned out as well as hoped.
According to well-placed Hoboken sources, the defense team led by attorney Alan Zegas is seeking to make a deal on behalf of his client with the Department of Justice prosecutors.
There’s only one problem; the Feds aren’t interested.
Official release:
Councilman Mike DeFusco today announced David Gracin will serve as the campaign manager for his 2019 City Council re-election. Gracin is a seasoned Democratic political operative who served as the field director during Councilman DeFusco’s 2017 mayoral run. Ray Ferraioli, one of New Jersey’s top Democratic fundraisers, will lead fundraising efforts.Also rejoining Councilman DeFusco’s campaign team is Vision Media Marketing Inc., whose clients include the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, the Hudson County Democratic Organization, State Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco and Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. Vice President Phil Swibinski will serve as a consultant and strategist and Caitlin Mota will serve as Councilman DeFusco’s campaign spokeswoman.
With the defense taking less than a day, Frank “Pupie” Raia took the witness stand in Newark at his federal trial to defeat the testimony of former political allies and friends against him.
He pointed the finger right back at those who accused him of being the Vote-by-Mail king in a voter bribery scheme.
“I wasn’t involved in what they were doing,” Raia offered by way of a defense.
Raia was responding to a trio of government witnesses who flipped and pled out for a reduced sentence (Matt Calicchio) or agreed to testify in lieu of prosecution (Michael Holmes & Freddie Frazier).
Yesterday at the Frank Raia voter fraud trial, the US Department of Justice conducted a master class how to expose and take down a virulent, targeted voter bribery scheme.
Sandwiched between two flipped Raia Social Club election soldiers and a NJ ELEC campaign investigative director, one FBI Happy Warrior operations specialist.
She presented a 2013 version of a 2010 Hobokenhorse.com investigative report highlighted in a NY Observer feature bringing the Hoboken tradition of voter fraud out of the shadows.
Official release:
Migdalia Pagan Milano, a candidate for Ward 1 Council, today called on Councilman Mike Defusco to remove his campaign manager, political consultant Ryan Yacco from his Council campaign.Yacco’s and Matt Calicchio’s testimony in the Frank Raia vote buying trial yesterday revealed that Yacco through his firm, Bluewater Operations was at the center of the vote buying scheme, writing more than $15,000 worth of checks to individuals paid $50 each to vote for Raia and against rent control. According to witness testimony, the money was funneled through Yacco’s firm as a way to hide the transactions and avoid campaign finance reporting requirements.
In a series of body blows on day three of his trial, Frank “Pupie” Raia saw his social club on Jefferson Street flip on him as the government delivered a devastating set of witnesses against him Wednesday.
| Michael Holmes as seen in this vintage 2011 photo. |
The federal trial with Raia a defendant for a bribery scheme involving the use of the mail took a deadlier turn with Mike Holmes opening the proceedings as a witness for the government.
His testimony was akin to having a lead pipe smacked against the knees.
“My role was to get as many Vote-by-Mail as I could get,” Holmes said before offering further incriminating testimony how he illegally helped voters fill out ballots for his team as directed by Raia.
Day two did not disappoint as a stone-faced Frank Raia took it on the chin most of the day as one former political operative ally and two Hoboken residents offered details pointing to his role as the maestro in a voter bribery scheme in the 2013 Hoboken election.
First, the Hudson County View blew the lid off questions swirling around which 2015 council candidate unnamed in a Department of Justice filing is connected to Matt Calicchio, a long time political operative who most recently worked for former councilwoman Beth Mason.
Jury selection went off without a hitch Monday morning paving the way for opening arguments in the Frank “Pupie” Raia voter fraud bribery trial in Newark federal court.
The first government star witness against Raia: Matt Calicchio. The longtime Old Guard political operative who was an employee for most of the time with Beth Mason under scrutiny in the 2013 and 2015 Hoboken elections.
He will be sentenced for his admission in the voter fraud bribery scheme using the mail in September.
The short one-week reprieve is over and Frank “Pupie” Raia begins his trial in federal court today charged with leading an alleged voter bribery scheme by use of the mail.
Jury selection is underway this morning and opening arguments may be heard in United States vs. Francis Raia before Judge Martini in Newark.| Frank “Pupie” Raia in better times as seen in this 2013 photo with former councilwoman Beth Mason who teamed up with him in the 2013 Hoboken election. He’s facing federal charges at trial for allegedly leading a voter bribery scheme that year. |
From October 2013 through November 2013, Raia instructed Braxton and other conspirators to pay certain Hoboken voters $50 if those voters applied for and cast mail-in ballots in the November 2013 Hoboken municipal election. Conspirators provided these voters with VBM applications and then delivered the completed VBM Applications to the Hudson County Clerk’s office.
