Gloves Come Off In Probate Race

A campaign contractor agreed Tuesday to plead guilty to falsifying petition signatures in the 2017 probate judge race — sparking a back-and-forth between the 2022 candidates over where responsibility ends and victimhood begins.

Victor Cuevas pleaded guilty in federal court in Hartford to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He admits that he committed fraud while working on a $5,750 gig for Americo Carchia’s 2017 campaign for New Haven probate judge. He now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

At the time Carchia hired Cuevas’ firm, Yellow Dog Strategies, to send people to collect signatures of registered voters on petitions to put Carchia’s name on the Democratic primary ballot for probate judge. Cuevas’s firm falsified names of Yale students and other registered voters on petitions, which Carchia subsequently submitted to New Haven’s registrar of voters. As the Independent reported at the time, students interviewed said they never signed the petition — and in some cases hadn’t even lived at the stated address for as long as five years. (Read about that here.) Carchia dropped out of the 2017 race as a result. The state investigated, and the feds brought charges against Cuevas.

Now Carchia is running again for probate judge. The position is Connecticut’s only elected judge position. It’s also in some ways the most Solomonic — making sometimes heart-wrenching decisions about child custody, parental rights, adoption, and guardianship of intellectually disabled individuals. Not to mention approving wills and name changes. 

Carchia is the Democratic candidate on the Nov. 8 ballot. He faces Independent Party candidate Jerald Barber, Jr., whom the Republican Party has also endorsed. The two held a friendly, civil debate earlier this month on WNHH-FM. (Click here to watch and read about it.)

On Tuesday, the gloves came off, as Barber issued a press release arguing that the case should disqualify Carchia from office. The release notes that Carchia submitted the petitions.

“Here it is, five years later, but finally, justice will be served with respect to the losing campaign of Carchia against Judge Clifton Graves, Jr. and the fraud that occurred.” But, Barber cautioned, ​“To believe that only Cuevas was solely responsible for fraud is to dismiss the responsibility of a licensed attorney and candidate for public office. Candidate Americo Carchia is responsible for what occurred in 2017. He is not fit to be elected to this position of public trust as probate judge… 

“There must be accountability for all involved. While knocking on doors and speaking with New Haven voters, I’ve confirmed that people want to trust that our elections are fair and not serving political insiders more than they do the people they represent. I believe that the bar should be raised and that candidates for public office should be held to the highest standards.” 

Barber’s press release lists New Haven’s Jason Bartlett as the contact person for the campaign.

In response, Carchia argued that he was a victim, not a perpetrator, of the fraud. He noted that the government did not charge him with any wrongdoing. The plea deal Cuevas signed (read it here) states he ​“defrauded” Carchia directly.

“There absolutely should be fair elections. When we found there was fraud, those fraud charges have been rectified. He specifically pleaded guilty to defrauding me,” Carchia told the Independent.

He called Barber’s statement an example of ​“desperate politics.” ​“I look forward to running a positive campaign and will serve the people of this city with the highest degree of ethics and compassion,” he said.