Peekskill Common Council member Rob Scott sought to advance his political career by challenging incumbent County Legislator Colin Smith for the seat in last year’s Democratic primary.
That effort ended in late April 2023 when the County Board of Elections threw out 217 of the 531 signatures Scott submitted on his ballot petitions, leaving him far short of the required number of 500.
Now, Scott is facing criminal charges for filing false documents.
In a statement, County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said Scott was arrested and charged with filing designating petitions containing forged signatures for a seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators in the June 2023 Democratic primary election.
“Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. Undermining the petition process in an attempt to get on the ballot in an election violates the public’s trust,” Rocah said.
Scott was charged with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, a felony and was issued a desk appearance ticket for an April 30 arraignment in White Plains City Court. It is a class E felony. According the District Attorney’s office, there is a wide range of potential sentences associated with this charge ranging from a minimum of probation up to a maximum of one and a third to four years in state prison.
The DA alleges that on April 10, 2023 Scott filed designating petitions with the Westchester County Board of Elections containing forged signatures of eight individuals who told DA’s Office investigators that they never signed a petition for the defendant. The alleged forged signatures appeared on three of the 37 sheets that the defendant signed as a witness, the complaint alleges.
The Criminal Investigators Squad of the DA’s Office launched an investigation in July 2023 after receiving complaints from individuals who attested their signatures were forged. The case is being prosecuted by the Public Integrity and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau.
Scott told The Herald that he was issued a desk appearance ticket and will have to go to court and take it from there. “It wasn’t like a dramatic crazy thing, it was very respectful. I have been in communication and in full cooperation with the DAs office since the beginning of this complainant and hope the matter can be put behind us shortly so that I, as an elected official, can get back to what’s most important, which is being in service of our community. I ask for patience as we sort through the matter, Councilman Scott said.
Scott’s ballot petitions challenged in court last April
Allegations charging Scott with falsifying signatures on his ballot petitions first surfaced in April 2023 when a lawsuit was filed against Scott and the Westchester County Board of Elections by Democratic party official Marcia Stone, Vice-Chair of the Yorktown Democratic Committee, and County Legislator Smith.
In their lawsuit, Stone and Smith listed 26 reasons the Scott ballots should be rejected. The allegations included signatures not signed by the person named, people who were not registered Democrats, alterations made to dates and signatures, signatures from people who had already signed Smith’s petitions earlier and that some signatures were forged and written by the same hand.
Four Peekskill residents – Debby and Bob Mickelson and Cathy Martone and David Hallerman – told the Journal News that their signatures were forged on Scott’s petitions.
All those allegations in the lawsuit became moot when the Board rejected Scott’s petitions and kept him off the ballot. The Board did not have the authority to pursue criminal charges and the matter seemed to be at an end. Now the County District Attorney’s office has charged Scott with criminal acts.
“Although I am disheartened at the news of Councilman Scott’s arrest, I applaud the District Attorney’s office for taking a strong stance on public integrity. Clearly, there was enough evidence of criminal conduct to warrant bringing these charges. Our elected officials must be held to a higher standard. Let this arrest serve as a warning to those who would attempt to subvert the rule of law for their own selfish gain that such self-serving behavior will not be tolerated. Councilman Scott should immediately resign,” County Legislator Colin Smith said.
Scott denied any wrongdoing in comments last year
In a published report last year, Scott denied forging signatures on his petitions and said that he was stunned to learn that his petition included the names of people who had not signed, including three dead people.
In his biography on the city website, Scott says he’s been a resident of Peekskill for over 25 years and is the owner/operator of the health establishment, PK Blendz Juice Bar.
“Scott is a vegan and licensed personal trainer. Mr. Scott is dedicated to building strong healthy families in the City of Peekskill through education and equitable grown. He is also a father of two children whom he is raising with his wife and high school sweetheart of 25 plus years,” his website bio reads.
“I’m a believer that we have the power to define and redefine, reality is only a reflection of our thoughts” – Rob Scott
