A candidate running for state Assembly in upstate New York was apparently caught on camera snatching his rival’s campaign flyer from the mailbox of a prospective voter.
Footage from the Scotia homeowner’s Ring camera showed Joseph Mastroianni removing a political mailer from the mailbox, putting it in his pocket and then stuffing his own flyer in the box.
“Bad, bad, bad,” Mastroianni says as a young woman giggles behind him, according to the video, taken Oct. 17.
Mastroianni, a Republican and member of the Rotterdam Town Board, is challenging six-term Democratic Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara in the 111th district encompassing Schenectady and Montgomery counties.
The alleged swipe and accompanying video was first reported by News 6 in Albany.
Unfortunately for Mastroianni, the homeowner receives “informed mail delivery” emails each day, where the postal service provides photos and/or videos of the items put in the mailbox.
Last Thursday, the homeowner received an email with a photo of Santabarbara’s campaign flyer in the mailbox earlier that day. Mastroianni is then seen on video snatching it, his accusers said.
Stealing mail is a federal crime that could result in prison time.
Schenectady County Democratic Committee chairman Frank Salamone filed a complaint with the US Postal Service, the state Board of Elections, the state Police, Schenectady County Sheriff and Scotia Village Police Department about the alleged theft.
“Salamone notified these agencies of video evidence that current Rotterdam Town Board Member and candidate for NYS Assembly, Joe Mastroianni, stole political mail from a voter’s mailbox. The voter retrieved the shocking video from her Ring Doorbell of Mr. Mastroianni stealing her mail after noticing she did not receive the item that appeared in her US Postal Service Informed Delivery,” the county Democratic leader, also an attorney, said in a press statement.
Salamone provided the authorities with the video of a mail carrier delivering the election mailer sent by Santabarbara to the homeowner’s in the Village of Scotia and “crystal clear video of Mr. Mastroianni later removing the mailer, folding it up and putting it in his pocket while laughing and telling his accomplice ‘Bad, Bad, Bad’, obviously acknowledging his misconduct,” the statement said.
Salamone called on Mastroianni to suspend campaign activities and immediately resign from the Rotterdam Town Board.
“Clearly, Mr. Mastroianni cannot continue this campaign in light of the fact that he committed, appears to have committed, at least one federal crime,” said Salamone.
“Ceasing the Assembly campaign is not enough. He must resign from the Rotterdam Town Board,” the statement added. “We like to say our elected officials are held to a higher standard, but in this case Mr. Mastroianni failed to even live up to the floor set by the Eighth Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not steal.”
Mastroianni did not respond to queries Wednesday.