State officials are once again investigating Bridgeport city councilman Alfredo Castillo for allegedly collecting absentee ballots from public housing facilities ahead of the city’s general election next month.
The State Elections Enforcement Commission voted this week to refer two recent complaints about Castillo to state prosecutors for potential criminal charges.
The complaints were filed by Jazmin Cooper, who is the daughter of Bridgeport city councilwoman Eneida Martinez, and they accused Castillo and three other political operatives of “manipulating voters” and illegally taking possession of absentee ballots, which is a felony in Connecticut.
Cooper, who is deeply involved in Bridgeport’s politics, accused Castillo of taking possession of a voter’s absentee ballot at the Crescent Crossings housing complex, and she alleged that she personally witnessed Castillo stuff several absentee ballots into the front pocket of his hooded sweatshirt at the Harborview Towers, another public housing facility, on Oct. 11.
“I personally watched and recorded Alfredo stuff ballots in his sweater,” Cooper wrote. “He then disposed of them then came back at night to finish his job of [harvesting] ballots from voters.”
“He was going to units and sending them down to their mailbox to retrieve their ballots, had them sign and he did the rest,” Cooper wrote.
Cooper also accused Castillo, who previously worked for Park City Communities, Bridgeport’s public housing authority, of using an old badge in order to gain access to the public housing facilities and its residents.
“Alfredo Castillo has been using his housing authority HUD badge from years ago … and using it to impersonate a HUD worker,” one complaint said.
Cooper provided state officials with videos and photographs of Castillo outside the public housing facilities with a sweatshirt on, but the images don’t show Castillo handling ballots.
Castillo, who is already facing more than 30 criminal charges involving abuse of the state’s absentee ballot system during Bridgeport’s 2019 and 2023 elections, declined through his attorney to comment on the latest complaints.
Meanwhile, some of the other political operatives whom Cooper accused of assisting Castillo denied that they ever interacted with voters at the Crescent Crossings and Harborview Towers.
Tony Barr, who is the chairman of Bridgeport’s New Movement Party, said he did go to Harborview Towers, but he said it was to meet up with a friend.
And Wilfredo Martinez, the chairman of Bridgeport’s Independent Party, who is running for a city council seat, said he had never even been to the Crescent Crossings property.
“If they want to waste their time filing SEEC complaints, they can,” Martinez said.
Ismael Sanchez, the fourth political operative named in the complaint, could not be reached for comment.
The new election complaints highlight the combative nature of Bridgeport’s municipal politics, even during off-year election years when there isn’t a citywide race for mayor.
This year’s general election in Bridgeport features several races for city council as well as a referendum on whether the city should change its charter to eliminate the local sheriff offices and allow the mayor to appoint the town and city clerk.
Both of the public housing facilities that are cited in the complaint are in Bridgeport’s 137th district, where Bridgeport’s city council chairwoman Aidee Nieves is facing a general election challenge from Martinez and Sanchez.