Last week, five members of the Democrat Party in Connecticut were arrested on a variety of election charges, including Wanda “the ballot stuffer” Pataky, along with Bridgeport City Council members Alfredo Castillo, Maria Pereira, and Jazmarie Melendez, and campaign staffer Margaret Joyce.
In a statement Friday afternoon, Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said the charges were connected to “the misuse of absentee ballots” during Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim’s campaign for re-election in 2023.
In response to his arrest, according to Only in Bridgeport, Castillo said he was “pissed off and frustrated” that he had to “go through this” because he had been told Ganim would lose “if we don’t get out the vote.”
Castillo then specifically accused Governor Ned Lamont, Sen. Richard “Danang Dick” Blumenthal, Sen. Chris Murphy, and Congressman Jim Himes of directly benefitting off the illegal actions which resulted in increased turnout in Bridgeport.
Castillo further claimed he was innocent and just “following the orders of the Democratic Party.”
“This is what they tell us to do, get out the vote. Then we get criminalized,” Castillo said. “Our job is to get out the vote. We’re loyal. Always the foot soldiers get whacked and then everyone benefits – Ganim, Lamont, Blumenthal, Murphy, Himes. Then it’s thank you, we’ll see you in four years.”
Bridgeport election results did show a higher percentage of democrat votes than the state average for 2024, with around 75% of votes going to Murphy and Himes in Bridgeport, as compared to around 60% for those candidates at the state level.