The trial of Hoboken political figure and developer Frank “Pupie” Raia will continue on Monday when the jury will hear closing arguments.
Raia is allegedly at the center of a vote-by-mail bribery scheme in which he allegedly directed campaign workers to pay residents $50 for voting for his council slate and for a referendum that would have weakened rent-control laws in the 2013 municipal election.
Raia is one of five people indicted for his or her alleged involvement in the scheme, three of whom have already pleaded guilty.
The trial began with jury selection on June 17 before testimony was heard from witnesses, voters who were allegedly paid for their votes, and alleged accomplices over the next three days.
According to reports, between 300 and 400 people were paid for their votes.
Raia is charged with conspiracy to use the mails to promote a voter bribery scheme, a felony charge which could result in a prison term of up to five years and a $250,000 fine.
Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., Monday, June 24, at New Jersey District Court in the Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse in Newark.
For more information on the case check out our past articles at hudsonreporter.com.Â
