The Albany Times Union reported on Wednesday that the official, Jason T. Schofield of Rensselaer County, is slated to plead guilty to the federal criminal charges next month.
“He is scheduled for a change of plea and with his change of plea he will be resigning from his position,” Schofield’s attorney told that outlet on Wednesday.
The Rensselaer County Legislature announced via social media later that same day that it had accepted Schofield’s immediate resignation.
Republican former President Donald Trump has long promoted the lie that the 2020 election was rigged against him. His repeated attacks on the security of the country’s elections have worked to chip away at confidence in the U.S. democratic system.
Trump and other GOP politicians have largely cast blame on the country’s Democrats for what they allege amounts to widespread voter fraud. Schofield’s resignation from his role as a Republican elections official serves as a stark contrast to such claims.
Back in September, the FBI arrested Schofield outside his home on charges that he’d illegally used at least eight voters’ personal information to obtain and file absentee ballots during last year’s primary and general elections. Even still, Rensselaer County’s Republican-led legislature earlier this month reappointed him to a second term lasting four years, per Northeast public radio network WAMC.
The Times Union notes that it’s unclear whether the county legislators knew prior to his reappointment that Schofield had chosen to plead guilty and step down.
The September indictment against Schofield alleges that he sought to receive absentee ballots in the name of residents who didn’t intend to vote, who hadn’t asked for absentee ballots, and/or who didn’t realize he was using their information.
“In some of these instances, according to the indictment, Schofield also took possession of the absentee ballots issued to these voters, brought the ballots to the voters, and had the voters sign absentee ballot envelopes but not actually vote; this allowed Schofield or another person to cast votes in these voters’ names, in Rensselaer County’s primary and general elections held in 2021,” according to a September news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York.
There are reportedly 12 counts in Schofield’s indictment. For each, he faces up to five years behind bars and a fine of up to $250,000.
Newsweek reached out to Schofield’s attorney for additional comment.
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