One of Stone's Thugs Arrested for Vote Fraud

The Sun-Times reports:

Ward superintendent charged with vote fraud

January 28, 2008
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

A ward superintendent handpicked by the City Council’s 80-year-old elder statesman, Ald. Bernard Stone (50th), was arrested Monday and charged--along with another man--with improperly steering primarily Indian and Pakistani voters toward absentee ballots for Stone.

Anish Eapen, a 37-year-old employee of the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, faces two counts of official misconduct, three counts of absentee ballot fraud and one count of mutilation of election materials. He allegedly worked in tandem with 34-year-old Armando Ramos, an unemployed student. Ramos faces two counts of absentee ballot fraud and two counts of mutilation of election materials.

A source familiar with the investigation said Eapen and Ramos “would target different people—primarily Indian and Pakistani voters—and suggest that they take absentee ballots. They would give them reasons why they should be taking absentee ballots—not necessarily valid reasons. They would be present when they filled out the application for the absentee ballot and, in some instances, they would bring the absentee ballot back to the people to vote.”

Stone defended Eapen as an “honest and fair person” and “one of the best” ward superintendents in the city, adding, “Nobody has ever accused him of wrongdoing and I don’t believe any charge of wrongdoing will ever be substantiated against Anish Epan. These are trumped-up charges.”

Stone protests too much. His organization has a long and troubled history of voter intimidation and fraud. David Hoffman is already investigating Ald. Stone and his campaign for prior absentee ballot complaints. Stone used to have Dominic Longo on his payroll, who was once known as the king of vote fraud. And the abnormalities in the November 2006 election are still fresh in everyone's mind.