BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — There’s another Wanda in Bridgeport and her name is Maria. It’s the newest bombshell development in the Bridgeport ballot fraud scandal that has gained national attention.
Another campaign operative could face criminal charges, but this time, they supported Mayor Joe Ganim’s opponent, John Gomes.
From the beginning, the John Gomes for Mayor campaign said that if anyone from their campaign committed fraud to bring evidence to the authorities. That happened.
In response Friday, Mayor Joe Ganim told FOX61 he, “Appreciates SEEC investigating the many complaints against the Gomes campaign.”
The State Elections Enforcement Commission just referred dozens of pages of evidence to the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office for possible criminal voter fraud charges related to the 2023 mayoral election.
Among them, a photo of City Councilwoman Maria Pereira - alone - inside a senior housing unit allegedly searching for an absentee ballot.
“It appears that she’s unauthorized in a voter's apartment. A senior who I am told may have a handicap of dementia. Going in there rummaging apparently looking for something,” described Ganim in an interview from September 2023.
It’s the same Maria Pereira who is an elected official. The same Maria who was arrested at the polls in 2023 for allegedly assaulting a 70-year-old woman. The same Maria who was stripped of her committee assignments for an email rant calling the police chief a “pig” and the officers “piglets.”
City Council President Aidee Nieves said this. “Maria Pereira is a very diligent councilwoman. That’s the way it is sometimes regarding the work they do and the unfortunate events they get involved in.”
Also included in the new evidence submitted to SEEC are signed affidavits from voters saying Maria, “abuses the elderly…banging on doors” and “likes to bribe the seniors.”
One voter said she…“came to my home and took the ballot… She told me what line to vote for.”
In another instance, a voter described, ”Maria mails them out for most of the people here.”
A voter also said Maria ”filled out an absentee ballot in my name and she signed it herself.”
Included in the submission was a handwritten note from Pereira that says, “no one will ever know.”
But unlike Wanda, Maria Pereira backed Ganim’s mayoral opponent John Gomes.
“We have done nothing illegal. It’s nothing in comparison to what they have done,” remarked Gomes in a 2023 interview when asked about accusations of voter fraud from his campaign.
This newest round of suspected voter fraud comes just weeks after four campaign operatives including Wanda Geter were arrested and criminally charged for their alleged role in rigging the 2019 mayoral election.
Maria Pereira is now the third sitting Bridgeport City Council member to be suspected of ballot fraud, joining Alfredo Castillo and Eneida Martinez.
FOX61 reached out to Maria Pereira for a comment.
She responded in a text saying, “Not worried in the slightest.”
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Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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