As part of the federal vote-by-mail trial for Frank Raia, longtime Hoboken politico Matt Calicchio testified that he worked for 5th Ward council candidate Eduardo Gonzalez in 2015, revealing one of the two unnamed candidates mentioned in his criminal complaint.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Weren’t you taping people for the government since December as part of your cooperation agreement,” Alan Zegas, Raia’s attorney, asked Calicchio during cross examination in U.S. District Judge William J. Martini’s court this morning.
After a brief sidebar, Calicchio responded that he had recorded “Mr. Belfiore, Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Romano” as part of his deal with the government.
Perry Belfiore is a longtime operative in the 4th Ward who routinely opposed former Mayor Dawn Zimmer and the candidates she supported, while Gonzalez unsuccessfully ran for the 5th Ward council seat in 2015.
Zimmer was backing incumbent Peter Cunningham in the 5th Ward, who prevailed in that race.
While Romano was not on the ballot in 2015, he supported the group of candidates backed by 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo, which included Gonzalez.
The subject matter of the tapes, or when they were made, was not discussed, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal confirmed that tapes were admitted as evidence in this case.
“We turned over a number of recordings made with a number of individuals and we don’t believe that Mr. Raia is on any of those tapes,” Agarwal told Martini.
As was reiterated yesterday during Calicchio’s initial testimony, he pleaded guilty last month to participating in vote-by-mail fraud schemes in connection to the 2013 and 2015 municipal elections in Hoboken.
His criminal complaint says that two candidates benefitted from Raia’s alleged VBM scheme in 2015: candidate 1 was said to have Calicchio and William Rojas working for them, while candidate 2 is only described as the chair of their own election committee.
After cross examination and it appeared that Calicchio’s meaningful testimony may be over, Agarwal decided to finally shed some light on the 2015 aspect of the case.
“In 2015, you weren’t working for Mr. Raia, right,? Agarwal questioned.
“Yes,” Calicchio answered.
“Which candidate were you working for?,” Agarwal followed up.
“Eduardo Gonzalez,” Calicchio responded.
While under the initial direct examination from Agarwal, Calicchio also affirmed that Bluewater Operations, a Clifton-based consulting firm run by Ryan Yacco, had been helping Raia and the One Hoboken team in 2013.
“We were friends at one time and we’ve worked together. Frank wanted to hire somebody to write the checks so he didn’t have to. He didn’t want to write the checks, he wanted to circumvent the ELEC process so he didn’t have to show all the checks,” Calicchio said when asked why Yacco’s services were solicited.
He continued that Raia felt if he wrote one big check to Bluewater and they wrote all the small checks, he wouldn’t have to disclose all the voters receiving $50 checks.
“I delivered the payment to Bluewater, at an office in Clifton, directly to Yacco and he was provided a list of voters to write checks to,” Calicchio also said.
Under cross examination, Zegas constantly put Calicchio’s credibility under siege, honing in on the fact that the testimony he had given yesterday and today contradicted what he told a grand jury on June 5th, 2017.
Zegas said according to those transcripts, Calicchio stated he never had any knowledge of a VBM scheme in Hoboken, never gave a check to anyone who did not work, never told anybody who to vote for, never received a blank ballot and was unsure of Dio Braxton’s role in the 2013 campaign.
Additionally, Zegas also made it a point to mention that Calicchio had not filed any tax returns in two years, despite living in an affordable housing unit, and still owes approximately $9,000 to his attorney in this case.
Nevertheless, Agarwal took a few moments to reassert his position that Calicchio’s testimony this week was credible.
“I just wanted to tell the truth and come clean. It was the right thing to do,” Calicchio said after explaining he lied in order to protect himself and others like Raia “from situations like this.”
Brian Cardino, who was the senior elections clerk investigator in 2013, took the stand around 11:15 a.m. this morning and will resume testimony after the lunch break.
So now the 2007 secret on winning is out– just like Dawn was after her FIRST scummy deal with Raia.
We knew them when: https://youtu.be/pUqkH_2AgmE
Mem’ries,
Light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?
Mem’ries, may be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember…
The way we were…
The way we were…were…..
http://www.hobokenhorse.com/2015/07/eduardo-gonzalez-steps-ahead-for.html
So all that “work” Nancy of the Cave and the Ravibots did pointing the finger at Ruben Ramos and slandering his name is wrong. They insisted on being wrong when it was obvious Raia would not be supporting Ramos in 2015 for council. Being that Raia had his own ticket in 2013 against Ramos how would that make any sense? Of course, it didn’t. Morons.
http://www.hobokenhorse.com/2013/05/vision-2020-and-ruben-ramos-vision-for.html?
http://www.hobokenhorse.com/2013/05/ruben-ramos-demand-to-mayor-surrender.html?
Now he waits to hear his opinion from Tiffany.
Somebody is obsessed with “Nancy.” Who cares what she writes? Is it your business fascist SCOOTER JUICE BOY? WHO’S the JUICE BOY? Roman (a.k.a. “JUICE Boy”) is in bed with Ramos, the VBM King. And slander is spoken, libel is written. DUHHHH. Just the facts, Juice Boy.
2011’s Primary: Ramos the VBM King. JUICE BOY didn’t. “Nancy” posted the ELECS. And 2015’s VBM harvest: “Nancy” posted the Russo ELECs. JUICE BOY didn’t. JUICE BOY was busy in the sack with RUBEN juicing his LIMES. Pathetic excuse for a so-called anti-corruption blogger. JUICE BOY is working for the DARK SIDE. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Oh yeah… the government isn’t done yet. So don’t get too far ahead of your stupid self. Everyone but a JUICE BOY could figure that out. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔😂😂😂
Nancy is WRONG! It’s so much fun seeing Nancy go more insane because she’s proven wrong again. Yeah, who’s got the juice? Well it’s clearly Hudson County View and Horsey at Mile Square View. Go eat another donut Nancy and wait for the next text directing you what to lie about out of the mayor’s office.
BWAAA HAWW HAWW! Your writing SUCKS. You got scooped yesterday by HCV AND a far superior blog with actual living and breathing readers plus intelligent commenters! The only commenter on your bigot-blog is YOU, complimenting yourself, and your Skyline PAL, and your world-renowned photoshopper… Who could even read that gibberish you write? You couldn’t write your way out of a paper bag. Did you and Tiff share a scooter to NEWARK? LOLOLOLOL Keep dragging 40lb scooters up your front stoop, you barnyard bigot! Keep up the fat jokes, voters will run from the bigot-blog team!
http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2019/may/16/first-ever-sikh-mayor-in-us-faces-racial-attack-as-photoshopped-image-shows-him-as-arab-dictator-1977692.html
First-ever Sikh Mayor in US faces racial attack as photoshopped image shows him as Arab dictator
https://www.ibcworldnews.com/photo-shopped-image-shows-first-ever-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator-in-us/ Photo shopped image shows first-ever Sikh Mayor as Arab Dictator in US
https://newsd.in/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator/Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator
https://www.newkerala.com/news/read/142445/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator.html Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2019/05/15/fes50-us-sikh-photo.html
Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator in US
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator-in-us-119051501051_1.html
https://www.canindia.com/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator/
https://www.canindia.com/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator/
http://epaper.canindia.com/TE/05-17-2019/mobile/index.html#p=6 *digital image of print edition
Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator
https://www.indiapost.com/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator/ *has digital edition (story not in May 17 issue)
Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/world/morphed-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator-in-us.html
Morphed image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator in US
https://www.asianage.com/world/americas/160519/photoshopped-image-shows-first-ever-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator-in-us.html
First-ever Sikh Mayor in US faces racial attack as photoshopped image shows him as Arab dictator
https://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/World/20190515/3542361.html
Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator
https://ourbitcoinnews.com/americas-first-sikh-mayor-racially-ridiculed-by-website/
America’s first Sikh Mayor racially ridiculed by website!!
http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator-in-us/
Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator in US
https://indianewengland.com/2019/05/photoshopped-image-shows-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator/
Photoshopped image shows Sikh Mayor as Arab dictator
https://www.thequint.com/news/world/doctored-image-shows-hobokens-sikh-mayor-as-arab-dictator-in-us
Doctored Image Shows Hoboken’s Sikh Mayor as Arab Dictator in US
https://khabar.ndtv.com/news/world/hoboken-mayor-ravi-bhalla-image-photoshop-as-arab-dictator-2038336
https://www.thehansindia.com/news/international/first-ever-sikh-mayor-in-us-faces-racial-attack-as-photoshopped-image-shows-him-as-arab-dictator-529874
First-ever Sikh Mayor in US faces racial attack as photoshopped image shows him as Arab dictator
Nancy, you copy real reporting from HCV and Hoboken Horse. You’re a shut-in taking up more and more limited space with your ever-expanding Twinkie-swallowing girth. No one is congratulating your plagiarism except you. Sane people don’t care about your drivel. Lying and Nazi graphics are what you do.
Stay tuned!
The coverage of this trial has been fascinating. Thank you John. Raia may not ultimately be convicted, that will be up to the jury, and neither we nor they have heard all the evidence yet. But win or lose the feds have performed a great service for Hoboken just by bringing this case to trial and shining light on this scam.
You’re welcome. Of further interest, Martini keeps saying things like this will be a “short trial” and we’re likely to finish “on schedule.” We aren’t privy to that schedule of course, but seems like this is very unlikely to go past next week.
Glad they are finally getting this crew… They were asleep at the wheel in 2007 when a young councilwoman had to vacate her seat after climbing into a mailbox with Raia to win…
https://youtu.be/pUqkH_2AgmE
That’s a pretty tiny space!
Oh Nancy is really off her meds today! Egged on by the $750,000 man Stan Grossbard and her pal Mark, she again falsely guesses names and now some on in that GA Psycho Ward suggest HCV to suspend commenting on all Hoboken stories…
Guess they learned from Bhalla, if they don’t agree throw them out and pay a Civil Rights settlement later!
Not true! “The cave” (Freudian for “uterus” or “womb”) has only banned Vicious and Nasty Two-Faced Tony, the Bigot-Horse and his foul-smelling horse-turds, and the Overgrown dead cat-limerick writing Sikh-offending Photo-shopper! I get it. It’s hard to be bested by a woman. Makes you MAD. Maybe one day, you will find a “cave” of your own to plant your seed in, and watch it grow. (Chances may improve if you wash your hair, launder your clothes, clean the dirt from under your fingernails and brush your teeth. Think about it!) Until then, keep juicing LIMES, and wash your hair, for G-d’s sake! LOL!!!!!!
Nancy…. Lecturing anyone on weight and cleanliness?
The Cave refers to Sybil’s Cave and a word play on your multiple personalities you idiot!
Nobody cares what gender you are, especially the neighbors who have to take you to court!
What a slob! No one cares what Ravi’s donut eating machine says. Anyone think she’ll get her head out of the Russo sphincter any time soon? She’s a big fat liar and likes it there!
Can we get back to the trial please. John has done an excellent job of writing this up and Horsey has provided some good commentary as well. Nothing of substance from Nutso Nancy.
You know which comments are Roman’s. Everyone does. You’re saying those are “of substance”?
He’s being held together with scotch tape.
You’re still alive? I thought you’d crossed the rainbow bridge. Got your strength back to writing limericks about people’s dead pets?
Shame you didn’t get credit for your world-famous photoshop. You really should have. We’ll have to FIX that! KKK-Kurt!
First off I don’t know what comments or not are Roman’s unless a pick up the phone and ask. Secondly I am doing better each day, thanks for asking. Thirdly can we get back to the trial please. Fourthly Nancy is still nuts; in fact nuttier than ever. Just look at the last post.
so you picked up the phone to find out which posts were nancy’s?
when do you think roman will analyze the work raia and yacco did for defusco? compare paid workers, vbms, stuff like that? because ga will. why don’t you pick up the phone and ask.