45°
District A Councilor-Elect Fidelina Santiago and Jennifer Lopez are charged with four counts each of illegal voting or attempt to vote, conspiracy to vote or attempt to vote illegally, unlawful interference with a voter, and obstruction of voting, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said.
The prosecutor did not go into detail about how they broke voting laws. It's also unclear what this means for her seat on the city council.
Calls to Lawrence officials and Fidelina Santiago's campaign were not immediately returned.
“Interfering with an election not only undermines the legitimacy of government but erodes the public’s confidence in the process," said Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. "My office will vigorously prosecute individuals that threaten the integrity of elections.”
Santiago topped Vladimir Acevedo with 531 votes to 382 in the District A election last month.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Essex and receive free news updates.
