Two Lackawanna County residents charged with Election Day fraud and tampering with ballots will face further action in county court.
Magisterial District Judge Joanne Price Corbett sent election-related charges against Michael Sico, 46, of Dunmore, to county court after a preliminary hearing Monday.
His mother, Kathie Sico, 67, also of Dunmore, waived her right to a preliminary hearing on the same charges Dec. 15. Both remain free on unsecured bail.
Both are charged with fraud by election officers, interference with an election, forging and destroying ballots and tampering with a public record.
Writing in Kathie Sico's name
The Sicos wrote Kathie Sico’s name in write-in slots on ballots so she could gain votes for judge of elections at one of Scranton’s Jackson Heights precincts, a county detective charged in an arrest affidavit. She was a judge of elections there.
A county detective found 35 of 141 valid ballots had Kathie Sico’s name written in the section for election a judge of elections and/or inspector of elections. Of five other ballots discarded because of “imperfections or issues with the voting,” two had Sico’s name in the judges of election section, according to the affidavits.
County deputy sheriffs who investigated said Michael Sico told them “they were writing (his mother’s) name on the ballots because people were calling them and telling them to write her in.”
'Admitted to signing her name'
In an interview with a detective, Kathie Sico “admitted to signing her name to ballots prior to voters receiving the ballots,” according to the affidavits.
She said she wrote on two ballots “because someone asked her to and then someone else came and took the ballot instead.”
She also told the detective she saw her son write her name on ballots but didn’t know how many.
District Attorney Brian Gallagher said no other election races were affected.
County elections director Beth Hopkins said Kathie Sico was appointed as judge of elections to fill a vacancy and won’t be reappointed because of what happened.
